 "Rs 62,000 crore deal for 97 Tejas LCA Mk1A fighter jets gets govt's green light")
India has approved the acquisition of 97 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1A fighter jets for the air force.
The clearance was given at a high-level meeting on Tuesday (August 19), paving the way for state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to expand production of the indigenous aircraft, ANI cited defence sources as saying. It marks the second major order for the fighter, following an earlier deal for 83 aircraft worth around Rs 48,000 crore.
Replacing ageing MiGs
The new fleet is expected to help phase out India’s ageing MiG-21 jets, which the government has decided to retire in the coming weeks. The defence ministry and air force command have fully backed the programme, which officials say will not only strengthen the IAF but also boost India’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, creating business for hundreds of small and medium enterprises.
HAL, long seen as the backbone of India’s aerospace industry, has been central to Modi’s efforts to revive indigenous fighter production. The prime minister himself flew a sortie in the trainer variant of the Tejas last year, the first time an Indian leader had flown in a combat aircraft.
Indigenous content and future plans
The LCA Mark 1A is equipped with upgraded avionics and radar compared with the first 40 Tejas aircraft supplied to the air force. Officials said the new batch will have more than 65% indigenous content.
The latest order underscores India’s ambitions for self-reliance in defence, with HAL expected to secure further contracts for more than 200 LCA Mark 2 jets and a similar number of the fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Former air chief marshal VR Chaudhari had first signalled the expansion of the Tejas programme in 2022 during a visit to Spain, calling the planned order a “mega boost” to indigenous fighter manufacturing.
The government has framed the Tejas programme as a symbol of its Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) initiative, and as a marker of India’s push to emerge as an aerospace power.
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