‘Not very long…’: LCA Tejas architect says India will stop importing fighter jets and start exporting

When India initiated the ambitious Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas project, few expected it would eventually compete with global contenders. Now, almost twenty years later, the previous program director, Kota Harinarayana, states that the nation is approaching an important milestone: complete self-sufficiency in producing fighter jets.

Now that the aircraft ecosystem is established, the experienced aviation expert thinks India is on the brink of a new phase in defense manufacturing — one in which it fulfills its Air Force’s demands and begins exporting domestically produced jets to partners.

India is gearing up to produce a complete array of homegrown fighter aircraft to fulfill the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force, stated Kota Harinarayana, the former program director and chief designer of the LCA Tejas. With consistent progress in defense technology, he feels the nation is nearing full self-sufficiency.

He pointed out that India has already created aircraft in different categories, ranging from small to medium jets and drones. He noted that the heightened use of Tejas by the Indian Air Force has shown the robustness and feasibility of domestic defense production.

“Time will come, not very long, India will become the exporter of defence products… the country is now procuring some of these products from Russia and France,” the 82-year-old scientist said during a visit to a private university’s convocation.

Harinarayana emphasized India’s increasing confidence in its defense abilities, referencing its effective reaction to Pakistani aggression following Operation Sindoor, a mission aimed at terror camps beyond the border.

He referred to this operational readiness as “just the initial phase,” noting that India has already demonstrated its technological capabilities in defense. Among recent achievements, Harinarayana highlighted the successful testing of ‘Bhargavastra’, an affordable, homegrown counter-drone system evaluated in Odisha’s Gopalpur, describing it as a significant advancement in India’s tactical strengths.