IAF is unhappy with the current pace of the Tejas LCA Mk-1A programme because ... be a replacement for the IAF’s Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter. LCA Mk-1A is an advanced variant of the LCA ...

India also manufactured MiG-21s through a license; however, the country plans to retire its MiG-21 fleet in favor of its own HAL Tejas fighter.

according to a 2002 Public Accounts Committee report between 1997 and 2000 – around the time the Tejas LCA was originally meant to be inducted – 21 pilots have been killed in 55 MiG-21 crashes.

"This Tejas Mark-I is much better than a MiG-21 'Bison' on several counts, including weapon-carrying capability and range. But the fighter's full capabilities will emerge only in the Tejas Mark-II ...

The Tejas Mark-1, which weighs around 13.5 tonnes, was designed to replace the MiG-21s, and the Tejas Mark-2, which is expected to weigh around 17.5 tonnes, is expected to replace the Mirage and ...