India's Tejas fighter jet: specs and key details

India's defence and aviation sector suffered a major blow when its homegrown Tejas Mk-1A fighter jet crashed during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow 2025 on Friday.

The pilot lost his life in the deadly accident, with the Indian Air Force announcing that a court of inquiry was being constituted, "to ascertain the cause of the accident".

"IAF deeply regrets the loss of life and stands firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief," a post on the official X account of the IAF read.

The fighter jet, involved in the crash, is India's first indigenous fighter, taking its maiden flight in January 2001, according to a report by AFP.

While the concept for a homegrown fighter aircraft began in the 1970s, actual work started on the aircraft project in the 1980s.

However, India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) project for the fighter jet has faced years of criticism due to delays and cost overruns.

After years of delays, the first two Tejas fighter jets were finally handed over to the IAF in 2016.

India designates the single-engine jet as a multi-role light combat aircraft, featuring a delta-wing design.

HAL has reportedly equipped the modern variants with advanced avionics, an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and enhanced electronic warfare systems.

According to Indian media outlets, the fighter jet can carry I-Derby extended-range (ER) and Astra beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles.

Tejas is reportedly also capable of firing short-range missiles such as the R-73, Python-5, and ASRAAM.

Recently, India signed a deal with United States’ General Electric to buy 113 engines to power its Tejas fighter jets, Reuters reported.

In a statement on November 7, HAL said that the deal was a follow-on order to power more of the fighters, with the engines expected to be delivered over five years from 2027.

The rollout of the fighter jet has been delayed due to slow deliveries from General Electric of 99 engines ordered in 2021, of which only four have arrived so far. GE has blamed supply chain issues following COVID-19.