ISLAMABAD: Armenia has reportedly halted advanced-stage negotiations withIndia for the procurement of indigenously developed Tejas light combataircraft following a fatal crash of the fighter jet during the DubaiAirshow last week, diplomatic sources confirmed on Saturday.
The crash claimed the live of Indian pilot and raised serious questionsabout the operational readiness and safety record of the long-delayed Tejasprogramme, which has struggled for decades to secure substantial exportorders.
Armenian defence officials had been in intensive talks with HindustanAeronautics Limited since early 2025, with reports suggesting an initialorder of up to 20 Tejas Mk-1A variants was under consideration to modernisethe Armenian Air Force amid ongoing tensions with Azerbaijan.
The sudden suspension comes as a major embarrassment for New Delhi, whichhas aggressively marketed the Tejas as a cost-effective alternative toWestern and Russian platforms in the global arms market.
Sources in Yerevan indicated that the crash footage showing the aircraftentering an unrecoverable stall during a high-angle-of-attack manoeuvre hasprompted an immediate technical review of the entire programme.
India’s Ministry of Defence has maintained silence on the development,while HAL officials described the incident as “under detailedinvestigation” and insisted the Tejas remains a mature and combat-provenplatform.
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The decision marks the second major blow to Indian arms export ambitionsthis year, following Argentina’s cancellation of a similar Tejas deal inSeptember over performance concerns.
Armenia now plans to reopen discussions with South Korea and France foralternative fourth-generation fighters, according to regional defenceanalysts.
Source: www.janes.com/defence-news”>https://www.janes.com/defence-newsSource: https://theprint.in/defence