Former Indian Air Force Chief Air Chief Marshal R.K.S. Bhadauria (Retd.) has criticised Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for its decision to continue using Israeli-made AESA radars in the initial production batch of the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A instead of adopting India’s indigenous Uttam AESA radar.
Bhadauria described the decision as a poor choice, arguing that India should give greater importance to domestically developed defence technologies, even if their integration requires additional time. He questioned the need to continue procuring foreign radar systems when an Indian-developed alternative has demonstrated encouraging results during flight testing.
The Uttam AESA radar has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), through its Electronics and Radar Development Establishment (LRDE). It is designed to provide advanced air-to-air and air-to-ground targeting capabilities, including the detection and tracking of multiple targets.
According to Bhadauria, flight-test data gathered by the National Flight Test Centre (NFTC) indicated that the indigenous radar had demonstrated better detection-range performance than the Israeli EL/M-2052 radar selected for the Tejas Mk1A. He believes that the Uttam system has reached a level of maturity that supports its integration into the aircraft.
HAL’s decision is linked to production schedules and certification requirements. The company had initially planned to introduce the Uttam radar from the 41st aircraft onwards under the first order for 83 Tejas Mk1A fighters. However, concerns over the certification and integration of the indigenous radar and associated electronic warfare systems led to a change in the plan. HAL subsequently retained the Israeli EL/M-2052 configuration for the entire first batch.
Bhadauria argued that a possible delay of 12 to 18 months should not be the primary reason for avoiding an indigenous system, particularly when the aircraft programme has already experienced delays.
The decision has wider implications for India’s defence manufacturing sector. Adopting Uttam would give India greater control over radar upgrades, software development, maintenance and future technology improvements while reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.
The indigenous radar is expected to feature in the second batch of 97 Tejas Mk1A aircraft, providing another opportunity to expand the use of Indian-developed systems.
Bhadauria’s criticism highlights the challenge facing India’s aerospace industry: balancing timely fighter aircraft production with the long-term objective of defence self-reliance. The successful integration of Uttam could become an important milestone in strengthening India’s domestic fighter aircraft technology capabilities.