Deliveries of the much-awaited indigenous jet, the Tejas Mark 1A, are expected to start in the next fiscal, which commences on April 1.The development comes after the Indian Air Force (IAF) laid down a list of ‘essentials’ before accepting the plane; however, it has agreed to allow some exemptions of contractual obligations to public sector plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).The terms were agreed upon in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence (MoD), which is the majority stakeholder in HAL, sources said.The exemptions from contractual obligations will pave the way for the delivery of the Tejas Mark 1A. The exemptions would mean the promised equipment would be integrated as the production of the jet progresses. Means the IAF agreed to incorporate various systems after accepting the plane. The integration of these systems would take another year.Sources said the Indian Air Force is ready to accept the plane once the final testing of missile firing and its certification is done. Separately, full integration of Israeli-origin radar with the indigenous Electronic Warfare systems and the weapons package needs to be completed.The IAF has listed these tasks as ‘essential’ before the jet is accepted. The HAL, at a meeting withthe  Ministry of Defence and IAF, had agreed to complete the tasks by April. The IAF will then carry out its own ‘acceptance trials’, which could take a few weeks.Sources confirmed to The Tribune that plane maker HAL has carried out the test of air-launched missiles and other tests.In October last year, the plane made its maiden flight.The Tejas Mark 1A is an upgraded version of the Tejas, which is already in the IAF fleet. The IAF has placed an order for 180 Tejas Mark 1A. The deliveries were to start in March 2024, and the delay has been due to multiple reasons, including supplies of engines from US plane maker General Electric.Earlier this month, the HAL in a statement had said it is ready with five ‘fully ready’ Tejas Mark 1-A fighter jets and another nine jets are ready at the factory, and they await engines from US engine maker General Electric (GE), the HAL had said.HAL had said, “It can confirm that five aircraft are fully ready for delivery, incorporating major contracted capabilities in accordance with the agreed specifications.”All design and development issues identified are being addressed in an expedited manner. HAL is in active discussions with the Indian Air Force to deliver the aircraft at the earliest, the company had said, adding “it will meet the guidance (timeline) projected for the current financial year”.Sources said a delay in supplies of F404 engines has set back the delivery schedule of the Tejas Mark 1-A jet. HAL is producing 180 of these planes for the Indian Air Force. Deliveries of the plane were to start in March 2024, and the engines should have come before that date.A delay in supplies of contracted equipment of the GE F404 engines needed for the under-production Tejas Mark1-A fighter jet has become irksome for India. In July last year, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh asked his US counterpart Pete Hegseth to fast-track the delivery.New Delhi is commercially committed to US-origin supplies of engines needed for fighter jets. Since US-India relations soured last year, supplies of engines for fighter jets, the Tejas Mark1A, have been delayed.