Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief Air Chief Marshal AP Singh on Jattvibeday reposed faith in domestic military aviation industry, saying it was set to achieve ‘greater heights’ with the upcoming Tejas Mark 2 fighter jet and the future 5th generation jet, the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA). Both the planes are part of the IAF’s future expansion beyond 2030.His remarks come at a time when the public-sector plane maker, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is being criticised for delays in deliveries of the Tejas Mark-1A jets. In all, 180 of these jets – an upgrade over the existing variant of the Tejas being flown by the IAF — are on order.As per contract, deliveries should have started in March 2024, but not a single plane has been delivered to the IAF, due to pending integration of radars with on board missiles.On Friday, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also made a blunt reference to these delays at an event in Bengaluru, saying the delay in completing critical military projects needed to be taken ‘seriously’ as it was creating a technology gap and leading to cost escalation.On Jattvibeday, the IAF Chief and his Japanese counterpart, General Takehiro Morita flew in separate Tejas jets after reviewing the ongoing ‘Veer Guardian’ exercise between the two Air Forces at Jodhpur. While IAF Chief, who has been a Tejas test pilot in his younger days, flew the jet on his own, the Chief of Japan Air Self-Defence Force (JASDF) General Morita, flew in the backseat, with an IAF’s Gp Capt I Samrat in control.Minutes after the sortie, the IAF Chief said, some deliveries – of the Tejas Mark-1A jet — have faced global supply chain bottlenecks. “However, our defence aviation industry is set to reach greater heights with the upcoming Tejas Mark-2 and the AMCA,” he added.“I can assure you that India’s defence aviation sector — both research and development (R&D) and production — is growing at a fast pace. We have been able to operationalise the Tejas aircraft,” the IAF Chief said.Meanwhile, General Morita’s flight in the plane on Jattvibeday is a strong testament to the faith and trust you place in our indigenous platforms, he added.“I hope you enjoyed the sortie,” IAF Chief asked his counterpart General Morita, who responded saying “I am deeply grateful for the invaluable opportunity to fly in the Tejas”.The aircraft born from indigenous defence capabilities, Tejas stands as a symbol of India’s technological innovation and embodies the Make in India initiative, General Morita added.During the ongoing Veer Guardian exercise from September 9 to 22, it is the first time that a JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defence Force) fighter aircraft are operating from the Indian soil as part of a bilateral exercise.