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HAL shares fell over 3% after reports of a Tejas fighter jet crash during training sortie, raising safety and supply delay concerns
Fighter jets are more commonly associated with sonic booms as they are designed for supersonic speeds. (Representative/PTI)
HAL Share Price: Shares of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited fell more than 3% after reports emerged that a HAL Tejas fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force suffered major airframe damage when it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase earlier this month due to suspected brake failure.
Sources told PTI on February 22 that the pilot of the aircraft ejected safely. The aircraft was reportedly returning to base after completing a training sortie. The accident occurred on February 7, but there was no official statement from the IAF regarding the incident.
HAL has issued a clarification on the Tejas accident.
HAL acknowledges the recent media reports on the LCA Tejas incident and wishes to provide factual clarification. There has been no reported crash of the LCA Tejas. The event in question was a minor technical incident on ground.
LCA Tejas maintains one of the world’s best safety records among contemporary fighter aircraft. As a standard operating procedure, the issue is being analysed in depth and HAL is working closely with the Indian Air Force (IAF) for a speedy resolution.
At 10:00 am on February 23, HAL shares were trading around 3% lower at Rs 4,037. The stock was among the top losers in the Nifty India Defence, which was down 0.84% in late morning trade.
Following the incident, the IAF reportedly grounded its fleet of around 30 single-seat Tejas aircraft to conduct detailed technical inspections.
This was the third reported accident involving Tejas aircraft. The first crash occurred in March 2024 near Jaisalmer, while the second incident took place in November 2025 during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow.
The latest accident comes amid delays in the delivery schedule of the Tejas Mk1A, manufactured by HAL. In February 2021, the defence ministry signed an Rs 48,000 crore contract with HAL to procure 83 Tejas Mk1A jets for the IAF.
The deliveries have been affected mainly because GE Aerospace missed several deadlines to supply aero engines required for the aircraft.
In September last year, the defence ministry also signed a Rs 62,370 crore agreement with HAL for the procurement of 97 additional Tejas Mk1A light combat aircraft.
The Tejas is a single-engine, multi-role fighter aircraft designed for operations in high-threat air environments, capable of performing air defence, maritime reconnaissance and strike missions.
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