--- title: "Is Russia's Economy Starting to Crack? And More." description: "Situation Room 2.17.2025: Indian Airshow Spotlights Air Power Woes; Battles Continue in the Congo. Indian Airshow Spotlights Air Power Woes. Next up, we travel to the city of Bengaluru in south India, where a major biennial airshow has attracted global attention.\n\n## Key Takeaways\n- At the Aero India 2025 airshow in Bengaluru, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh publicly rebuked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for delivering zero of the eleven Tejas Mark 1A aircraft promised by February 2025.\n- The Tejas Mark 1A is a supersonic, fourth-generation fighter expected to integrate advanced radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures, with India planning to procure at least 170 of the variant.\n- India’s homegrown defense industry has seen successes with the Arjun main battle tank, an indigenous multiple-rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and its first indigenously built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant.\n- The Indian Air Force currently flies only thirty-one fighter squadrons against an expected force of forty-two, at a time of ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China.\n\n## Key Developments\n\nRunning from February the tenth to the fourteenth, the fifteenth edition of the Aero India airshow has mostly made headlines because of a highly symbolic confrontation, with two rival stealth fighters—America’s F-35 Lightning and Russia’s Su-57 Felon—coming face-to-face on the tarmac for the very first time. But underneath the hype and aviation geekery of Aero India, there’s a very different story playing out behind the scenes, as setbacks within India’s homegrown aviation industry may have major implications for the nation’s strategic alignment. On the second day of the airshow, the eleventh of February, an Indian news outlet called National Defence captured an incident on video as it happened, involving the nation’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh—basically, the seniormost officer of the Indian Air Force. Singh was visiting a display at the airshow, joined by representatives of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL, India’s largest and most important aerospace defense company—and Singh was letting HAL’s representatives know about the Indian government’s deep displeasure with their work. Now, just a little bit of critical background before we go further, so that we can understand what’s going on here. HAL, the defense contractor, has been working on India’s indigenously produced jet fighter, the Tejas, for well over two decades now, and it has been slow going.\n\n## Strategic Implications\n\nThe Tejas is a supersonic, fourth-generation combat aircraft, relatively advanced, with solid specs, formidable armament, and a design that’s expected to be built with over seventy percent indigenously machined parts within the next few years. All told, it’s a very important project for India, with everything from national pride, to national defense, to the evolution of its military-industrial complex, all on the line. But, again, it has been slow going; manufacturing began all the way back in 2001, yet there are just thirty-five in service with the Indian Air Force today. And when the leader of the Indian Air Force had his hot-mic moment at the air show, his commentary was not complimentary of the design process so far. Quoting his translated remarks here: “At the moment I am just not confident of HAL. I was promised that when I come here in February I will see 11 [Mark]1As ready, minus the engines.\n\n## Risk and Uncertainty\n\nNot a single one is ready. Not impressed.” Singh was referencing the Mark 1A variant of the Tejas aircraft, expected to integrate new and advanced radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures. India expects to procure no fewer than 170 Mark 1As, and while supply-chain issues from the company building the Mark 1A’s engine, General Electric, have been expected to slow down deliveries, it’s up to HAL to actually build the rest of the aircraft. So, here’s the leader of the Indian Air Force, openly rebuking HAL for not having done so, and having presented eleven fewer copies of the Mark 1A than the grand total of eleven that the Indian Air Force was promised. As Singh berated HAL, their representatives looked on without defense. The following day, HAL’s leader reiterated promises that the aircraft will be ready soon, but again, without a clear date in mind.\n\n## Outlook\n\nNow, the reason that we’ve chosen to highlight this story isn’t simply to enjoy a bit of schadenfreude, as this military leader berates a defense contractor right in front of that defense contractor’s own hype team. Nor is it simply an attempt to point out problems with India’s force readiness—although, it’s certainly worth noting that while the Indian Air Force expects to have forty-two squadrons of fighter jets at its disposal, it currently flies only thirty-one squadrons, at a moment of ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China. Instead, we’re going to talk about the big picture, as it relates to India’s status as a rising global power—because, make no mistake, India is very much a rising power on the world stage. Let’s start with the state of India’s defense-industrial complex, because while other comments from India’s defense production secretary, Sanjeev Kumar, indicated that recently stabilized production lines at HAL and General Electric will hopefully lead to the procurement of one to two dozen Tejas aircraft in the next fiscal year, the Tejas story is but a symptom of a broader problem. India has been working to develop a homegrown defense industry for decades, moving away from a reliance on mostly Soviet and later Russian kit, and to an extent, it’s been successful. India now fields over a hundred of its own Arjun main battle tanks, its first move away from the Soviet T-series, and it’s reached similar levels of success with an indigenously developed multiple-rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and even its first indigenously produced aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant.\n\n## Related Coverage\n- [America's New Fighter Jet, China's Invasion Ships, and More.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/americas-new-fighter-jet-chinas-invasion-ships-and-more)\n- [Indonesia's Radical Air Force Gambit: Strategic Genius or Logistical Nightmare?](https://warfronts-prod.fulcrum-labs.workers.dev/defense/indonesia-radical-air-force-strategic-diversification)\n- [Britain’s Military Overhaul: Ambitious Plans, Uncertain Future](https://warfronts-prod.fulcrum-labs.workers.dev/defense/britains-military-overhaul-ambitious-plans-uncertain-future)\n- [The UAE is in MASSIVE Trouble.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/the-uae-is-in-massive-trouble)\n- [China's Air Force is Broken.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/chinas-air-force-is-broken)\n\n## Frequently Asked Questions\n\n### What did India’s Air Chief Marshal say about HAL at Aero India 2025?\n\nAir Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh openly rebuked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited during the airshow, stating he was promised eleven Tejas Mark 1A aircraft would be ready by February but found not a single one complete. He said directly: “At the moment I am just not confident of HAL.” The following day, HAL’s leader reiterated promises the aircraft would be ready soon, but again without a clear delivery date.\n\n### What is the Tejas Mark 1A, and why is it important to India?\n\nThe Tejas Mark 1A is an advanced variant of India’s indigenously developed supersonic fighter jet, expected to incorporate new radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures. India plans to procure no fewer than 170 of these aircraft, making it one of the most consequential defense acquisitions in the country’s history, touching on national pride, defense readiness, and the development of India’s military-industrial complex.\n\n### How does the Tejas production delay reflect broader issues in India’s defense industry?\n\nThe delay is described as a symptom of broader problems with India’s homegrown defense industry rather than an isolated failure. While India has reached milestones with the Arjun main battle tank, an indigenous rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, production timelines have consistently lagged. HAL has been manufacturing the Tejas since 2001 yet only thirty-five are in service with the Indian Air Force today.\n\n### What is the current state of India’s fighter jet readiness?\n\nThe Indian Air Force currently operates only thirty-one fighter squadrons against a stated requirement of forty-two, a significant gap that is especially concerning given ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China. The shortage is compounded by delays in the Tejas program, which was supposed to help close that gap by replacing aging Soviet-era aircraft in the fleet.\n\n### Why is the Aero India airshow significant beyond the HAL controversy?\n\nThe fifteenth edition of Aero India 2025 attracted global attention partly because of a symbolic moment: America’s F-35 Lightning and Russia’s Su-57 Felon came face-to-face on the tarmac for the first time. The airshow also provided a venue for India to display its growing defense ambitions and industrial base, even as the HAL incident highlighted the limits of where that base currently stands.\n\n## Sources\n1. \n2. \n3. \n4. \n5. \n6. \n7. \n8. \n9. \n10. \n11. \n12. \n13. \n14. \n15. \n16. \n17. \n18. \n19. \n20. \n\n[1]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/indian-warplane-maker-promises-faster-delivery-after-air-chiefs-rebuke-2025-02-12/\n[2]: https://www.twz.com/air/f-35-and-su-57-face-off-in-india\n[3]: https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-s-defence-industry-achievements-and-challenges\n[4]: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/still-short-on-promise-indias-defence-industrial-base/\n[5]: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-opens-air-show-with-eye-boosting-defence-manufacturing-exports-2025-02-10/\n[6]: https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/c4isr/aero-india-2025-indian-air-force-to-procure-vhf-radar\n[7]: https://aviationweek.com/defense/multi-mission-aircraft/embraer-proposes-c-390-exports-india-if-chosen-mta-requirement\n[8]: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/su-57-f35-fighter-aircraft-steal-show-during-aero-india-2025-in-bengaluru/articleshow/118121904.cms?from=mdr\n[9]: https://simpleflying.com/f-21-lockheed-martin-super-f-16-for-indian-air-force/\n[10]: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-21-india-might-end-best-f-16-fighting-falcon-ever-210383\n[11]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-military-reinforces-beleaguered-congo-mission-2025-02-10/\n[12]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-bukavu-under-threat-m23-rebels-warn-intervention-2025-02-11/\n[13]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/dozens-runaway-congo-soldiers-face-trial-violence-charges-2025-02-09/\n[14]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87dv0vzx75o\n[15]: https://www.theafricareport.com/376464/drc-conflict-how-far-and-fast-can-m23-go-to-capture-buvaku/\n[16]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-bukavu-rwanda-871a8bcd404f6579cb83f04f04338a7b\n[17]: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/eye-on-africa/20250211-dr-congo-fighting-m23-move-closer-to-bukavu\n[18]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/militia-kills-over-35-civilians-east-congo-village-chief-says-2025-02-11/\n[19]: https://www.dw.com/en/dr-congo-militia-kill-dozens-of-villagers-in-ituri-province/a-71577508\n[20]: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/at-least-55-civilians-killed-by-militia-fighters-in-northeastern-congo/articleshow/118145874.cms\n\n" url: https://warfronts.pub/article/is-russias-economy-starting-to-crack-and-more.md canonical: https://warfronts.pub/article/is-russias-economy-starting-to-crack-and-more datePublished: 2026-02-25 dateModified: 2026-02-25 author: - name: Simon Whistler url: https://warfronts.pub/author/simon-whistler publisher: Warfronts image: "https://media.warfronts.pub/cdn-cgi/image/width=1600,height=900,fit=cover,quality=80,format=auto/articles/f2wTOVCU5p8/hero.jpg" type: NewsArticle contentHash: 11f25613af2273b31d95f95f3e7aee05d5eb936aa51785fd206255a69e81caca tokens: 3403 summaryUrl: https://warfronts.pub/article/is-russias-economy-starting-to-crack-and-more.md.summary.md --- Situation Room 2.17.2025: Indian Airshow Spotlights Air Power Woes; Battles Continue in the Congo. Indian Airshow Spotlights Air Power Woes. Next up, we travel to the city of Bengaluru in south India, where a major biennial airshow has attracted global attention. ## Key Takeaways - At the Aero India 2025 airshow in Bengaluru, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh publicly rebuked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for delivering zero of the eleven Tejas Mark 1A aircraft promised by February 2025. - The Tejas Mark 1A is a supersonic, fourth-generation fighter expected to integrate advanced radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures, with India planning to procure at least 170 of the variant. - India’s homegrown defense industry has seen successes with the Arjun main battle tank, an indigenous multiple-rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and its first indigenously built aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant. - The Indian Air Force currently flies only thirty-one fighter squadrons against an expected force of forty-two, at a time of ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China. ## Key Developments Running from February the tenth to the fourteenth, the fifteenth edition of the Aero India airshow has mostly made headlines because of a highly symbolic confrontation, with two rival stealth fighters—America’s F-35 Lightning and Russia’s Su-57 Felon—coming face-to-face on the tarmac for the very first time. But underneath the hype and aviation geekery of Aero India, there’s a very different story playing out behind the scenes, as setbacks within India’s homegrown aviation industry may have major implications for the nation’s strategic alignment. On the second day of the airshow, the eleventh of February, an Indian news outlet called National Defence captured an incident on video as it happened, involving the nation’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh—basically, the seniormost officer of the Indian Air Force. Singh was visiting a display at the airshow, joined by representatives of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL, India’s largest and most important aerospace defense company—and Singh was letting HAL’s representatives know about the Indian government’s deep displeasure with their work. Now, just a little bit of critical background before we go further, so that we can understand what’s going on here. HAL, the defense contractor, has been working on India’s indigenously produced jet fighter, the Tejas, for well over two decades now, and it has been slow going. ## Strategic Implications The Tejas is a supersonic, fourth-generation combat aircraft, relatively advanced, with solid specs, formidable armament, and a design that’s expected to be built with over seventy percent indigenously machined parts within the next few years. All told, it’s a very important project for India, with everything from national pride, to national defense, to the evolution of its military-industrial complex, all on the line. But, again, it has been slow going; manufacturing began all the way back in 2001, yet there are just thirty-five in service with the Indian Air Force today. And when the leader of the Indian Air Force had his hot-mic moment at the air show, his commentary was not complimentary of the design process so far. Quoting his translated remarks here: “At the moment I am just not confident of HAL. I was promised that when I come here in February I will see 11 [Mark]1As ready, minus the engines. ## Risk and Uncertainty Not a single one is ready. Not impressed.” Singh was referencing the Mark 1A variant of the Tejas aircraft, expected to integrate new and advanced radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures. India expects to procure no fewer than 170 Mark 1As, and while supply-chain issues from the company building the Mark 1A’s engine, General Electric, have been expected to slow down deliveries, it’s up to HAL to actually build the rest of the aircraft. So, here’s the leader of the Indian Air Force, openly rebuking HAL for not having done so, and having presented eleven fewer copies of the Mark 1A than the grand total of eleven that the Indian Air Force was promised. As Singh berated HAL, their representatives looked on without defense. The following day, HAL’s leader reiterated promises that the aircraft will be ready soon, but again, without a clear date in mind. ## Outlook Now, the reason that we’ve chosen to highlight this story isn’t simply to enjoy a bit of schadenfreude, as this military leader berates a defense contractor right in front of that defense contractor’s own hype team. Nor is it simply an attempt to point out problems with India’s force readiness—although, it’s certainly worth noting that while the Indian Air Force expects to have forty-two squadrons of fighter jets at its disposal, it currently flies only thirty-one squadrons, at a moment of ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China. Instead, we’re going to talk about the big picture, as it relates to India’s status as a rising global power—because, make no mistake, India is very much a rising power on the world stage. Let’s start with the state of India’s defense-industrial complex, because while other comments from India’s defense production secretary, Sanjeev Kumar, indicated that recently stabilized production lines at HAL and General Electric will hopefully lead to the procurement of one to two dozen Tejas aircraft in the next fiscal year, the Tejas story is but a symptom of a broader problem. India has been working to develop a homegrown defense industry for decades, moving away from a reliance on mostly Soviet and later Russian kit, and to an extent, it’s been successful. India now fields over a hundred of its own Arjun main battle tanks, its first move away from the Soviet T-series, and it’s reached similar levels of success with an indigenously developed multiple-rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and even its first indigenously produced aircraft carrier, the INS Vikrant. ## Related Coverage - [America's New Fighter Jet, China's Invasion Ships, and More.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/americas-new-fighter-jet-chinas-invasion-ships-and-more) - [Indonesia's Radical Air Force Gambit: Strategic Genius or Logistical Nightmare?](https://warfronts-prod.fulcrum-labs.workers.dev/defense/indonesia-radical-air-force-strategic-diversification) - [Britain’s Military Overhaul: Ambitious Plans, Uncertain Future](https://warfronts-prod.fulcrum-labs.workers.dev/defense/britains-military-overhaul-ambitious-plans-uncertain-future) - [The UAE is in MASSIVE Trouble.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/the-uae-is-in-massive-trouble) - [China's Air Force is Broken.](https://warfronts.pub/conflicts/chinas-air-force-is-broken) ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What did India’s Air Chief Marshal say about HAL at Aero India 2025? Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh openly rebuked Hindustan Aeronautics Limited during the airshow, stating he was promised eleven Tejas Mark 1A aircraft would be ready by February but found not a single one complete. He said directly: “At the moment I am just not confident of HAL.” The following day, HAL’s leader reiterated promises the aircraft would be ready soon, but again without a clear delivery date. ### What is the Tejas Mark 1A, and why is it important to India? The Tejas Mark 1A is an advanced variant of India’s indigenously developed supersonic fighter jet, expected to incorporate new radar, jamming technology, and electronic countermeasures. India plans to procure no fewer than 170 of these aircraft, making it one of the most consequential defense acquisitions in the country’s history, touching on national pride, defense readiness, and the development of India’s military-industrial complex. ### How does the Tejas production delay reflect broader issues in India’s defense industry? The delay is described as a symptom of broader problems with India’s homegrown defense industry rather than an isolated failure. While India has reached milestones with the Arjun main battle tank, an indigenous rocket launcher, an attack helicopter, and the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier, production timelines have consistently lagged. HAL has been manufacturing the Tejas since 2001 yet only thirty-five are in service with the Indian Air Force today. ### What is the current state of India’s fighter jet readiness? The Indian Air Force currently operates only thirty-one fighter squadrons against a stated requirement of forty-two, a significant gap that is especially concerning given ongoing tension with both Pakistan and China. The shortage is compounded by delays in the Tejas program, which was supposed to help close that gap by replacing aging Soviet-era aircraft in the fleet. ### Why is the Aero India airshow significant beyond the HAL controversy? The fifteenth edition of Aero India 2025 attracted global attention partly because of a symbolic moment: America’s F-35 Lightning and Russia’s Su-57 Felon came face-to-face on the tarmac for the first time. The airshow also provided a venue for India to display its growing defense ambitions and industrial base, even as the HAL incident highlighted the limits of where that base currently stands. ## Sources 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. [1]: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/indian-warplane-maker-promises-faster-delivery-after-air-chiefs-rebuke-2025-02-12/ [2]: https://www.twz.com/air/f-35-and-su-57-face-off-in-india [3]: https://www.orfonline.org/research/india-s-defence-industry-achievements-and-challenges [4]: https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/still-short-on-promise-indias-defence-industrial-base/ [5]: https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-opens-air-show-with-eye-boosting-defence-manufacturing-exports-2025-02-10/ [6]: https://www.janes.com/osint-insights/defence-news/c4isr/aero-india-2025-indian-air-force-to-procure-vhf-radar [7]: https://aviationweek.com/defense/multi-mission-aircraft/embraer-proposes-c-390-exports-india-if-chosen-mta-requirement [8]: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/su-57-f35-fighter-aircraft-steal-show-during-aero-india-2025-in-bengaluru/articleshow/118121904.cms?from=mdr [9]: https://simpleflying.com/f-21-lockheed-martin-super-f-16-for-indian-air-force/ [10]: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/f-21-india-might-end-best-f-16-fighting-falcon-ever-210383 [11]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/south-africas-military-reinforces-beleaguered-congo-mission-2025-02-10/ [12]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/congos-bukavu-under-threat-m23-rebels-warn-intervention-2025-02-11/ [13]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/dozens-runaway-congo-soldiers-face-trial-violence-charges-2025-02-09/ [14]: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c87dv0vzx75o [15]: https://www.theafricareport.com/376464/drc-conflict-how-far-and-fast-can-m23-go-to-capture-buvaku/ [16]: https://apnews.com/article/congo-goma-m23-bukavu-rwanda-871a8bcd404f6579cb83f04f04338a7b [17]: https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/eye-on-africa/20250211-dr-congo-fighting-m23-move-closer-to-bukavu [18]: https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/militia-kills-over-35-civilians-east-congo-village-chief-says-2025-02-11/ [19]: https://www.dw.com/en/dr-congo-militia-kill-dozens-of-villagers-in-ituri-province/a-71577508 [20]: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/at-least-55-civilians-killed-by-militia-fighters-in-northeastern-congo/articleshow/118145874.cms