*Modi’s Favoritism Toward Adani, Ambani Leaves India’s Naval Fighter JetProject in Shambles*
Despite a decade of tall claims by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’sgovernment, India’s dream of defense self-reliance has suffered a majorsetback, with the country still unable to produce its own carrier-basedfighter jet.
According to Indian media reports, after ten years of delays, India hasfailed to develop a locally manufactured naval combat aircraft, raisingserious questions about the future of the Indian Navy’s air power.
The *Twin Engine Deck-Based Fighter (TEDBF)* program, once hailed as amilestone for indigenous defense manufacturing, remains stuck in the designand development phase. Experts now suggest its first test flight may nottake place before 2029–30, with induction into the Navy likely only by2038—by which time the project risks becoming obsolete.
The Navy earlier rejected the naval variant of the *Tejas Mk-1*, citingexcessive weight and poor payload capacity, dismissing even the proposalfor limited induction. Similarly, the service has shown little interest inthe navalized versions of the *Tejas Mk-2* and the *Advanced Medium CombatAircraft (AMCA)*.
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Although the Navy officially backs the TEDBF, the recent induction of *26French Rafale-M fighter jets* has further diminished the relevance of theindigenous project.
Meanwhile, China continues to expand its aerial superiority with theinduction of fifth-generation aircraft such as the *J-20* and *J-35*. Bycontrast, India’s TEDBF, still a 4.5-generation design, will already beoutdated by the time it is combat-ready, leaving India’s naval aviationcapability vulnerable in the region.
Analysts argue that Modi’s focus on favoring corporate giants like Adaniand Ambani has come at the expense of genuine defense progress, pushingIndia further behind its rivals in the critical domain of modern warfare.