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Combat aircraftIn service
Multirole light fighter
HAL Tejas is a multirole light fighter originating in India. It was built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
IndiaMultirole light fighter
India
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Aeronautical Development Agency Aircraft Research and Design Centre ( HAL )
In service
Indian Air Force
45 (plus 17 prototypes)
2001–present
17 January 2015
4 January 2001
HAL Tejas Mk2 HAL TEDBF
1 or 2
13.2 m (43 ft 4 in)
8.2 m (26 ft 11 in)
4.4 m (14 ft 5 in)
38.4 m 2 (413 sq ft)
6,560 kg (14,462 lb)
9,800 kg (21,605 lb)
13,500 kg (29,762 lb)
2,458 kg (5,419 lb)3,060 L (670 imp gal; 810 US gal) internal; 2 × 1,200 L (260 imp gal; 320 US gal), 800 L (180 imp gal; 210 US gal) drop tank inboard, 725 L (159 imp gal; 192 US gal) drop tank under fuselage
4,500 kg (9,900 lb) – 5,300 kg (11,700 lb) external stores
1 × General Electric F404-GE-IN20 afterburning turbofan with FADEC , 85 kN (19,000 lbf) with afterburner
2,220 km/h (1,380 mph, 1,200 kn)
739 km (459 mi, 399 nmi)
3,000 km (1,864.1 mi, 1,619.9 nmi)
16,000 m (52,500 ft)
1 × 23 mm twin-barrel GSh-23 cannon with 220 rounds
9 with a capacity of 5300 kg, with provisions to carry combinations of: Missiles: Air-to-air missiles : 2 × R-73 4 × I-Derby ER 2 × Python-5 4 × Astra Mk 1 4 × Astra Mk 2 (Planned) 4 × ASRAAM 4 × Meteor (Planned) Air-to-surface missile : AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64) 2 × BrahMos-NG ALCM (Planned) SCALP-EG (Planned) Anti-radiation missile : 2 × Rudram-1 (Planned) Anti-ship missile : 2 × NASM-MR Bombs: Precision-guided munition : Spice Joint Direct Attack Munition HSLD-100/250/450/500 Gaurav (glide bomb) Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation Al Tariq-LR (potential) Laser-guided bomb : GBU-16 Paveway II Sudarshan Griffin LGB Cluster munition : BDL Chaff / Flare Counter Measure Dispensing System (CMDS) DARE Targeting pod (Tejas Mk.1 FOC) Rafael Litening III
+9/-3.5
255.2 kg/m 2 (52.3 lb/sq ft)
1.07
Air-to-air missiles : 2 × R-73 4 × I-Derby ER 2 × Python-5 4 × Astra Mk 1 4 × Astra Mk 2 (Planned) 4 × ASRAAM 4 × Meteor (Planned) Air-to-surface missile : AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64) 2 × BrahMos-NG ALCM (Planned) SCALP-EG (Planned) Anti-radiation missile : 2 × Rudram-1 (Planned) Anti-ship missile : 2 × NASM-MR
2 × R-73 4 × I-Derby ER 2 × Python-5 4 × Astra Mk 1 4 × Astra Mk 2 (Planned) 4 × ASRAAM 4 × Meteor (Planned)
AASM-Hammer (SBU-38/54/64) 2 × BrahMos-NG ALCM (Planned) SCALP-EG (Planned)
2 × Rudram-1 (Planned)
2 × NASM-MR
Precision-guided munition : Spice Joint Direct Attack Munition HSLD-100/250/450/500 Gaurav (glide bomb) Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation Al Tariq-LR (potential) Laser-guided bomb : GBU-16 Paveway II Sudarshan Griffin LGB Cluster munition :
Spice Joint Direct Attack Munition HSLD-100/250/450/500 Gaurav (glide bomb) Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon Tactical Advanced Range Augmentation Al Tariq-LR (potential)
GBU-16 Paveway II Sudarshan Griffin LGB
Reference text from Wikipedia contributors, used under CC BY-SA 4.0.
True scale
Sourced dimensions beside a 1.75 m human reference.
Points represent sourced observations, including revisions. Revisions on the same effective date are not separate inventory events. Ranges appear in the table and are not plotted as exact points.
| Observation / report period | Value | Source | Claim state |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sept 2026 | 13.2 m | Wikipedia contributors | superseded |
HAL Tejas equipment records. Variants, orders and quantities are shown as reported in each inventory source; coverage is incomplete.
IndiaReported count for HAL Tejas · Tejas Mk1 - IOC / HAL Tejas · Tejas Mk1 - FOC. Service scope: Air Force; does not replace a national total. 2 distinct count cell(s) from the same source list; shared rowspan cells counted once. Retired, wholly reserve and on-order rows are excluded; the reported count retains any explicitly mixed stock scope in the quoted row. Count column(s): in service: 16 / in service: 14. Origin: India. The listed variants/roles are the scope, not an immediately deployable count. Dates are the count-cell citations' stated source period (2026), not the article revision. 2026 cited source edition. Edition or publication years do not claim an exact inventory census day.