Argentina to buy indigenous Tejas Mark-1A, LCH Prachanda for Rs 8,675 Cr: Reports

New Delhi and Buenos Aires are expected to discuss ways to strengthen defence and cooperation during the visit of Argentina’s defence minister Jorge Enrique Taiana here. Taiana who arrived in New Delhi on July 17 on a four-day visit to India, expected to ink a Rs 8,675-crore deal with India for the fourth-generation fighter aircraft Tejas Mark-1A and LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) Prachanda during this visit of the Defence Minister of Argentina, according to media reports. During his stay, Jorge Taiana will hold bilateral talks with Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh on July 18, 2023 to further consolidate defence cooperation between the two countries. The Indian Embassy in Argentina tweeted that Bhatia would be accompanied by Brigadier General Javier Isaacs, Chief of the Argentine Air Force, in a delegation meeting with the technical team of HAL to discuss Tejas fighter jets and various helicopters manufactured at HAL. Argentina needs 12 light combat aircraft, for which it has received letters of intent from China and HAL. Initially, this deal was also believed to become a Chinese JF-17 vs. Tejas contest, but HAL has moved fast on this matter. Tejas, the Made in India Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is fast becoming the first choice of many countries. Malaysia, Argentina, Australia, Egypt, America, Indonesia, and the Philippines have also shown interest in buying Tejas.