The Indian Air Force's Tejas light combat aircraft are set to resume operations next week, nearly two months after the fleet was grounded following an accident at a frontline airbase.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited chairman and managing director DK Sunil said the issue that led to the grounding has been fixed, clearing the way for operations to resume.
The grounding was ordered in February after one of the jets overshot the runway during landing, damaging its airframe. The incident was suspected to have been caused by a brake failure.
A software-related issue onboard the aircraft was identified as the cause of the accident, but HAL has now resolved the issue.
The Tejas programme is a key part of India's efforts to strengthen its air combat capabilities, and operations are set to resume just as delays in the delivery of the Tejas Mark 1A variant continue to be a concern.
HAL expects to deliver over 20 jets by December, with six likely to be handed over soon. The IAF is banking on these inductions to address a shrinking squadron strength, which has fallen to 29 against the sanctioned 42.
