News Brief
The Tejas Mark 1A fighter plane (Raj K Raj/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
In a move towards bolstering indigenous military capabilities, the Defence Ministry has issued a tender to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of 97 LCA Mark 1A fighter jets, worth over Rs 65,000 crore.
The tender, recently issued to HAL, gives the public sector firm three months to respond.
As reported by Economic Times, the programme aims to replace the Indian Air Force's aging fleet of MiG-21s, MiG-23s, and MiG-27s.
The initiative, fully supported by the Defence Ministry and Air Headquarters, is poised to significantly promote indigenization and provide substantial business opportunities to small and medium enterprises engaged in defense production nationwide.
The decision to acquire 97 additional LCA Mark 1A fighter jets was initially announced by Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari during a visit to Spain, when he told about the mega plans to boost the indigenous fighter aircraft orders.
The previous order for LCA Mark 1A comprised 83 aircraft, with the first plane scheduled for delivery in the coming weeks.
Representing an advanced iteration of the Tejas aircraft, the LCA Mark 1A boasts enhanced avionics and radar systems compared to the initial batch of 40 LCAs supplied to the Air Force.
Significantly, the new LCA Mark 1A aircraft will feature indigenous content exceeding 65 per cent.
HAL is also poised to secure contracts for over 200 LCA Mark 2s and a similar number of fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.
Latest