An Indian Tejas fighter jet crashed in a ball of fire in front of horrified spectators during an aerial display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday.

HAL will deliver the first eight Tejas Mk1A jets in 24–36 months, with production ramping up later. Delays stem from early-phase manufacturing bottlenecks and late closure of the GE engine contract.

“HAL and GE had to align on escalating costs before locking the supply roadmap. The first phase is naturally slower. That has pushed the early aircraft deliveries into an eight-unit window over 24–36 months,” Moneycontrol quoted a source as saying.