Expressing concern over the slow pace of development of indigenously designed Tejas light Combat Aircraft(lCA), the CAG said on Friday the plane is yet to be inducted into the IAF after the project was sanctioned 30 years ago.
Making this observation in its report tabled in Parliament on lCA development programme, the CAG also noted the IAF had to upgrade MIG-21s, MIG-29, Mirage-2000 and Jaguar fighter aircraft in its fleet at a cost of Rs20,037 crore due to delay, it said.
The IAF was also forced to revise the schedule of phasing out of MIG-21s to ensure credible combat potential, the CAG said. The IAF has more than 200 MIG-21s and they are fast reaching the end of their operational life and the Tejas was to replace it. The IAF has ordered two squadrons of Tejas aircraft but the final operational clearance is yet to come through.
listing the shortcomings, the CAG said the lCA Mark-I fails to meet the electronic warfare capabilities sought by IAF as the Self-Protection Jammer could not be fitted on the aircraft due to space constraints.
Also, it said the Radar Warning Receiver/Counter Measure Dispensing System fitted on the aircraft had raised performance concerns which are yet to be overcome (January 2015).
The project for indigenous design and development of lCA was sanctioned in 1983 at a cost of Rs560 crore, which was enhanced from time to time up to Rs10,397.11 crore.