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HAL awarded ₹48,000 cr contract for 83 advanced Tejas fighters
On Tuesday, defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated HAL’s second LCA plant in Bengaluru to increase the yearly production rate of the fighter jet from eight to 16
The defence ministry on Wednesday awarded a ₹48,000 crore contract to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to supply 83 LCA (light combat aircraft) Mk-1A jets to the Indian Air Force. The first Mk-1A aircraft will be delivered to the air force in three years, with the rest being supplied by 2030. The deal involves the supply of 73 Mk-1A fighter jets and 10 LCA Mk-1 trainer aircraft.
“I am very happy that HAL has got the orders for development of 83 new indigenous LCA Tejas Mk-1A...it is probably the biggest Make in India defence contract till date,” said defence minister Rajnath Singh while inaugurating Aero India-2021. The show is being held at the Yelahanka airbase from February 3 to 5. At least 600 exhibitors are taking part in the biennial show, including 78 foreign exhibitors.
India’s Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on January 13 approved the proposal to buy the advanced Tejas jets to bolster IAF’s combat potential.
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On Tuesday, defence minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated HAL’s second LCA plant in the city to increase the yearly production rate of the fighter jet from eight to 16.
“Our vision is to make India one of the biggest countries of the world in defence sector, from design to production, with active participation of public and private sector,” Singh said.
The deal for the 83 Mk-1A jets will take the total number of Tejas variants ordered to 123. The 40 LCAs already ordered by IAF are in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations. The LCA Mk-1A will come with additional improvements over the FOC aircraft, making it the most advanced Tejas variant so far..
“HAL now has to perform since the stakes involved are very high -- IAF’s potency is dependent on it. HAL’s work culture and ethos have to turn a new leaf to ensure that aircraft production timelines are met in letter and spirit. Rigid adherence to quality in production and timely provisioning of spares would define successful contract implementation,” Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (retd), additional director general, Centre for Air Power Studies, said on Tuesday.
The Mk-1A variant will come with digital radar warning receivers, external self-protection jammer pods, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, advanced beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles and significantly improved maintainability. The fighter’s indigenous content is expected to be 60%, compared to 50% in the existing variants.
“I believe Aero India 2021 will boost investment, expand manufacturing ecosystem and enhance the technology levels and propel the economic growth for the country,” the minister said.
Singh said on Tuesday that the LCA Mk-1A was better than its foreign equivalents on several parameters and also cheaper.
