Why India Can't Afford To Let The Tejas Programme Fail | In Our Defence | India Today

With the possible loss of a third HAL Tejas in Gujarat, the delayed response from authorities, and the controversy that has followed, renewed scrutiny is now on India’s indigenous fighter programme. Questions are mounting: Has the IAF really lost another Tejas? Why the delay in official communication? And what does this mean for the Mark 1A rollout? In this episode of In Our Defence, host Dev Goswami and national security expert Sandeep Unnithan discuss the controversy, the difference between Mark 1 and Mark 1A and the future of India’s indigenous fighter program. The two discuss: Why the IAF hasn’t fully accepted the Mark 1A yet The GE 404 and 414 engine bottleneck Indigenous content — how Indian is Tejas really? The HAL–IAF dynamic and the larger structural silos Why fighter squadron anxiety is shaping procurement decisions Tune in! 00:00 – The Crash & HAL’s Silence 06:00 – Tejas Origins: The 1983 MiG-21 Replacement Plan 11:31 – Production Bottlenecks & Structural Issues (ADA–HAL–IAF–MoD) 17:20 – Tejas Mk1 vs Mk1A: What Really Changes? 21:46 – Spiral Development & The Nuclear Submarine Comparison 25:10 – Rafale, Russia Constraints & Strategic Delays 32:35 – Software Sovereignty: The Real Power of Tejas 38:57 – Private Sector & Assembly Line Scaling 42:38 – Why Indigenous Orders Matter 47:11 – The Big Question: Induct Now or Wait for AMCA? Produced by Taniya Dutta Kaveri To Tejas Delays:    • Kaveri to Tejas Delays: Crisis of India's ...   #Tejas #IndianAirForce #IAF #LCA #Mark1A #DefenceAnalysis #MilitaryAviation #FighterJets #AtmanirbharBharat #InOurDefence Subscribe to India Today for NEW VIDEOS EVERY DAY and make sure to enable Push Notifications so you'll never miss a new video. All you need to do is PRESS THE BELL ICON next to the Subscribe button! India Today TV is India's leading English News Channel. India Today YouTube channel offers latest news videos on Politics, Business, Cricket, Bollywood, Lifestyle, Auto, Technology, Travel, Entertainment and a lot more. Stay tuned for latest updates and in-depth analysis of news from India and around the world! For more updates, subscribe our channel:    / @indiatoday   For LIVE updates, analysis, and expert opinions — only on India Today https://youtube.com/live/sYZtOFzM78M https://youtube.com/live/lNe8hisFwMM NewsToday with Rajdeep sardesai:    • NewsToday With Rajdeep Sardesai (2026)   India First with Gaurav Sawant:    • India First With Gaurav Sawant   To The Point with Preeti Choudhry:    • To The Point | Preeti Choudhry   NewsTrack with Marya Shakill:    • NewsTrack with Marya Shakil   WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va2A... Download App: https://indiatoday.link/wHaj Follow us: Official website: https://www.indiatoday.in/ Twitter:   / indiatoday   Facebook:   / indiatoday