India has made great achievements in expanding its indigenous defense industry with the ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ initiatives. The latest report released by global think tank Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) on Monday (December 1, 2025) contains a list of the top 100 arms manufacturing companies around the world, in which the names of three Indian companies have also been included.

Which Indian companies are included in the list?,

According to the latest report of SIPRI, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which manufactures Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas fighter jet in India, is ranked 44th in the list of 100 top arms manufacturing companies in the world. At the same time, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), which manufacturers radar and electronic warfare systems, is at 58th position. Mazagon Dockyard Limited (MDL), which manufactures warships and submarines in India, is ranked 91st in SIPRI’s list.

4 American companies among top-5 arms companies

According to the report, four of the world’s top-5 arms manufacturing companies are from America alone, which includes Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics. One of the first five companies is England based BAE Systems, which is at fourth place in the list.

Record level income from military arms and services in 2024

Global thinktank SIPRI has released its new report titled ‘The SIPRI Top 100 Arms-Producing and Military Services Companies, 2024’ on Monday (December 1, 2025). According to which, the income from sales of the world’s top 100 arms and military services manufacturing companies has reached a record figure of $ 679 billion in 2024.

Talking about the income of America’s top-3 arms companies Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics, the combined income of these three American companies increased by 3.8 percent to reach $334 billion in 2024. 39 American companies are included in the list of world’s top 100 companies, out of which 30 companies have registered an increase in their income.

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This time, such a scene was seen in the Dubai Air Show, which no one present there had even imagined. India’s indigenous light combat aircraft LCA Tejas was showing its exciting demo flight when suddenly it lost control. Thousands of spectators were looking towards the sky, when Tejas took a sharp turn and within a few moments, it started losing its balance. Within no time the plane started falling downwards and collided directly with the ground.

The collision was so strong that a huge plume of black smoke rose over Al Maktoum International Airport. People got scared. There was chaos in the program and the security team immediately reached the spot. Immediately after the accident, air show security personnel and emergency teams reached the spot. Airport officials started investigation to find out the reason for the incident. This accident, which happened in Dubai in the presence of so many spectators, is raising many questions. In such a situation, let us know when Tejas has become a victim of accidents before Dubai.

specialty of tejas

Tejas is a light, single-seater fighter jet made in India. It also has a twin-seater trainer version, which is operated by both the Indian Air Force and Navy. Its technical demo (TD-1) was first flown in 2001. Later in 2016, its series production version (SP-2) was successfully flown. Tejas has been designed as a 4.5-generation fighter aircraft, which can perform well from air missions to ground operations. It is considered to be the lightest and smallest aircraft in its class, and the heavy use of composite materials in its structure makes it agile. The first Tejas squadron of the Indian Air Force was named Flying Daggers (No. 45).

How many Tejas victims of accidents before Dubai?

Before the recent accident at the Dubai Air Show, Tejas aircraft had a very short and safe accident history. Tejas flew for the first time in 2001 and after that, no case of any accident of this aircraft was reported for 23 years. That is, from 2001 to March 2024, Tejas flights were considered almost completely safe. The only case of accident before this was on March 12, 2024, when Tejas aircraft crashed during an operational training flight in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The pilot survived that accident, but died in Dubai.

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The Tejas fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed during an air display at the Dubai Airshow on Friday (21 November 2025), killing the pilot. IAF has constituted a court of inquiry to find out the causes of the accident. Pakistani media wrote about this accident that India’s Tejas fighter jet suddenly came down and after hitting the ground turned into a ball of fire.

Pakistani media raised questions on design of Tejas

Pakistani newspaper Dawn has raised questions on the design of Tejas. Dawn wrote, “India’s indigenous fighter jet was inducted into the Indian Air Force in 2016. This fighter jet is under question due to design and other reasons. The Tejas MK-1A fighter aircraft is important to strengthen the declining squadrons of the Indian Air Force. Apart from this, in view of the support India’s arch rival Pakistan is getting from China, India is replacing its old aircraft.”

A part of the airspace was closed

The incident occurred when Tejas was flying for scheduled aerobatic practice. The reasons for the accident have not been confirmed yet. The investigation team will conduct a detailed study of every technical, operational and safety aspect of the flight so that the real reasons can be confirmed. After the accident, a part of the airspace was temporarily closed to control the situation.

Tejas is a light multi-role combat fighter aircraft

Tejas is India’s indigenously developed light multi-role combat fighter aircraft. It has been designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Its presence in the Dubai Air Show-2025 was considered an important opportunity to showcase India’s aerospace capabilities on the global stage. The detailed cause of the accident will become clear only after technical investigation. Expert team will study the technical data.

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The investigation team will conduct a detailed study of every technical, operational and safety aspect of the flight so that the real reasons can be confirmed. Immediately after the plane crash, the emergency management team of the air show and local administrative units reached the spot and took charge of the situation.

An Indian Tejas fighter plane crashed on Friday (21 November 2025) during a demonstration at the Dubai Air Show. The pilot in question died. It is seen in the video that while performing acrobatics in the sky, the Tejas aircraft suddenly collided with the ground and then there was a massive explosion, after which only huge flames were seen rising. Emergency teams have reached the spot.

The incident occurred at 2:10 pm local time, when thousands of spectators were watching the aircraft’s acrobatics. While taking a turn in the air, the pilot suddenly lost control of the indigenous fighter aircraft LCA Tejas and the aircraft rapidly crashed into the ground. After this accident, the Dubai Air Show has been temporarily stopped. Indian Air Force has confirmed the crash of Tejas aircraft in Dubai. IAF said, “A Tejas aircraft of the Indian Air Force has crashed at the Dubai Air Show 2025. Further information is currently being ascertained.”

#BREAKING Major accident at Dubai Air Show, Indian fighter jet Tejas crashes@romanaisarkhan , https://t.co/smwhXUROiK#DubaiAirShow #Tejas #FighterJetCrash #ABPNews pic.twitter.com/OoAKLE1xGZ

— ABP News (@ABPNews) November 21, 2025

Tejas is a 4.5-generation multi-role combat aircraft built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to perform air-defense missions, offensive air support and close-combat operations. It is considered to be one of the lightest and smallest fighter planes of its class. It is also designed for land and maritime operations, making it one of India’s most suitable indigenous platforms.

This is the second accident involving Tejas aircraft, the first accident took place near Jaisalmer in 2024. The Dubai Air Show is held every two years and is considered one of the largest aerospace events in the world. More than 1,500 exhibitors and more than 1,48,000 industry experts from 150 countries participate in it.

(This story is being updated…)

India’s indigenous fighter jet LCA Tejas is also participating in the 2-day Dubai Air Show-2025 starting from Monday (November 17) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During this time, Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth will also be present in the air show. Let us tell you that Tejas last participated in the Dubai Air Show in the year 2023.

The first flight of the advanced version Mark-1A of LCA Tejas was organized last month in Nashik, Maharashtra. The Defense Ministry has ordered 180 Mark-1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) for the Indian Air Force. Apart from the Air Force, India has also prepared LCA Tejas for export to friendly countries. This is the reason why Tejas’ participation in the Dubai Air Show becomes important. This is the reason why Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth himself will be present in Dubai.

Sanjay Seth will lead the Indian delegation
India’s Minister of State for Defense Sanjay Seth will lead the Indian delegation at the Dubai Air Show. This delegation will include senior officials of the Defense Department, Department of Defense Production, Ministry of External Affairs and Armed Forces. During the air show, Sanjay Seth will hold a bilateral meeting with his UAE counterpart. He will also chair a Defense Industry Roundtable with about 50 companies from India, UAE, Australia, US, Brazil, UK and Italy with the aim of strengthening defense technology and manufacturing cooperation in India.

Sanjay Seth will also inaugurate the Indian pavilion established at the Dubai Air Show. This pavilion will have stalls of many leading Indian defense and technology companies including Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO), Coral Technologies, Duntal Hydraulics, Image Synergy Explore and SFO Technologies.

19 Indian companies will showcase their capabilities
Apart from these, 19 Indian companies including Bharat Forge, BrahMos, Tech Mahindra and HBL Engineering will independently showcase their capabilities. Together 15 Indian startups will showcase their products and solutions. Indian Air Force Suryakiran Aerobatic Team will also participate in this air show.

The Dubai Air Show is a biennial global event, attracting over 1,500 exhibitors from 150 countries and over 1,48,000 industry professionals. Leading international aerospace companies such as Bombardier, Dassault Aviation, Embraer, Thales, Airbus, Lockheed Martin and Callidus showcase their products and technologies at this prestigious event.

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The 5th -generation fighter aircraft has been felt for a long time to strengthen India’s air power. But the indigenous AMCA program is not ready yet, and the picture is not clear about foreign options-F-35 of America and SU-57 of Russia. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes are on India’s next strategy.

Amca still years away
India’s indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is currently in the early stages of development. The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) says that its prototype will not come before 2027-28 and its operation will not be started before 2036. Due to this delay, the Indian Air Force (IAF) is facing the lack of current squadron.

F-35: No formal proposal has been made yet
There has been a lot of discussion about the American F-35 fighter aircraft, but the Government of India or defense experts have not yet taken any clear stand. Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in Parliament that “there has been no formal talks about F-35 yet.” He referred to a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump in February 2025, in which the US spoke of reconsideration of the sale policy of aircraft like F-35 to India, but it was limited to policy review only.

Why is F-35 not an easy option?
India already has fighter aircraft like SU-30mki, Rafael, Tejas, Mirage 2000 and Jaguar. A senior IAF pilot said, ‘Taking any aircraft is not just a matter of flying, but it is to see if it matches the current system. The F-35 is fully associated with the American system, which can make it difficult to reconcile with India’s diverse defense structure.

Expert Dinakar Pari says that F-35 is state-of-the-art, but this is not the best option for India. India does not have an American fighter ecosystem and adopting it will be a very long process. He also said that if the US is not fully connected to F-35 with India’s Russian, French and Israeli system, then this aircraft will not be able to work with its full capacity.

SU-57: There is an option, but the problem is also a lot
Russia’s SU-57 is considered a practical option for India as India already uses Russian aircraft. But there are many challenges associated with this option:

• Threat of US sanctions and political pressure
• Delay in delivery
• Technical issues
• payment issues
• Strategic harmony

However, there are benefits such as technical transfer with SU-57 and better harmony with the current Russian system.

IAF shortage of fighter aircraft
Currently IAF has only 30-31 squadrons, while the need is 42.5 squadron. Indigenous options like LCA MK1A and MK2 were expected to meet this deficiency, but their delivery is also delayed. In such a situation, India has the option to buy 4th Generation Plus (4Gen+) aircraft, so that the lack of AMCA can be met.

Expert advice: 4Gen+ and LCA are more important than FGFAS
Dinakar Pari said that ‘the real problem of IAF is not the 5th, but the number of 4th generation fighters. What is needed right now is to speed up LCA production and pursue programs like MRFA (Medium Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft). Opponents like China and Pakistan are rapidly increasing the fleet of their fighter aircraft, which has made it even more important to fill this gap for India.