NEW DELHI – A procurement scandal puts India’s Tejas fighter jet program in bad light as supplier submitted hundreds of fake testing reports for critical aircraft components. The issue came to light during HAL audit, prompting legal action and raising concerns about quality control in one of India’s key defence projects.
Indian state-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) launched legal action against Hyderabad-based supplier over allegations of large-scale fraud and submission of fake technical documents in the Tejas fighter jet Mk-1A program.
HAL’s Aircraft Division in Bengaluru placed 18 supply orders with firm identified as TEC Aero Devices beginning in March 2022, as part of its critical procurement chain for the indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft.
HAL accused Hyderabad supplier Tec Aero Devices of forgery after discovering 199 falsified test reports for 172 parts ordered between 2022 and 2023 for the Tejas-Mk1A program.
An audit confirmed the reports misused another firm's credentials, prompting HAL to file a criminal… pic.twitter.com/uKCbs7bqg3
— VERTEX (@vasilyaarkhipov) June 11, 2026
The supplier was entrusted with manufacturing and supplying multiple components after it submitted what appeared to be extensive compliance documentation, reportedly including 199 test reports claiming strength and durability validation of parts. On the basis of these documents, the company was even cleared to produce 35 different categories of components for the fighter jet program.
HAL demanded original test records during routine quality verification. The supplier reportedly failed to produce the authentic documentation, triggering suspicion within the organization. The situation escalated further when the company submitted a written apology, allegedly admitting that the test reports had been fabricated under the name of a Hyderabad-based testing agency.
A formal audit conducted by HAL on November 29, 2023, reportedly delivered a damning conclusion: none of the 199 test reports submitted between February and September 2023 had actually been issued by the claimed testing authority. The findings suggested that official names and signatures of the testing agency had been misused without authorization to fabricate the entire batch of reports.
Amid outrage, HAL now initiated legal proceedings against the supplier, marking a serious escalation in what is being described as a major breach of defence procurement integrity. The controversy comes at a sensitive time for the Tejas fighter jet program, which has recently faced increased scrutiny following multiple reported incidents. In Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, a Tejas aircraft crashed during a training sortie due to a technical malfunction.
Last year, another Tejas jet reportedly lost control and crashed during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show in the United Arab Emirates. More recently, in early February 2026, yet another Tejas aircraft was involved in a landing accident following a training mission.
Substandard components in fighter jet supply chain can have catastrophic consequences, not only for pilots’ safety but also for the operational reliability of high-value military platforms, and recent reports raised serious questions about oversight, verification, and quality control within critical defence manufacturing networks.
