Deal to purchase 97 more Tejas aircraft, 156 Prachand attack helicopters gets Defence Ministry's approval

India will soon get more than 97 Tejas aircraft and 156 Prachand helicopters, as the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved the purchase for a mega Rs 1.40 lakh crore deal. A report by CNBC Awaaz quoted sources saying the Defence Ministry has approved Rs 1.40 lakh crore deal which also includes one aircraft carrier. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is the domestic supplier of Tejas and Prachand aircraft. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has an existing fleet of 83 Tejas jets. According to a report by The Economic Times, the value of the 97 Tejas aircraft is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore, making it the largest-ever fighter aircraft deal in the country. The development comes ahead of a crucial meeting scheduled to be held by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Earlier a report by Bloomberg quoted sources saying that the new carrier, which can hold at least 28 fighter jets and helicopters and displaces 45,000 tons of water — a measure of size for ships, will be flying the French Rafale jets. India’s first homemade carrier, INS Vikrant, joined the fleet last year and was built by Cochin Shipyard Ltd. The country also has a Russia-made aircraft carrier. As per the report, India plans to have 160 warships by 2030 and 175 by 2035 at an estimated cost of Rs 2 lakh crore. More than 60 vessels of the Indian Navy are currently at various stages of construction, it added. Amid the growing concerns over China’s rising naval prowess, India has been carrying out more warship patrols than ever before. Meanwhile, India has also upgraded the runway facilities at the Andaman and Nicobar Islands enabling the aircraft to land at night. The Tejas Mk-1A Light Combat Aircraft is India’s first self-made fighter jet. In February 2019, it received the final operational clearance for induction into the IAF as a fully-weaponised fighter jet. It is an indigenously designed and manufactured fourth-generation fighter with critical operational capabilities that include an Active Electronically-Scanned Array (AESA) radar, and an Electronic Warfare (EW) suite. Also, it is capable of air-to-air refuelling (AAR).