The delivery of the Tejas LCA to the IAF will begin from March 2024 and around 16 aircraft will be rolled out annually till the completion of the total supply of 83 jets, said HAL MD, R Madhavan
THE Government on Wednesday formally sealed the Rs 48,000 crore deal to procure 83 Tejas LCA from State-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, a deal described by the Government as ‘biggest’ Make- In-India defence contract. The contract was handed over by Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence, V L Kantha Rao to Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, R Madhavan, at the inaugural ceremony of Aero India-2021, the country’s premier Defence and Aerospace show, here, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. “I am very happy that HAL has got the orders for development of 83 new indigenous LCA (light combat aircraft) Tejas MK1A from Indian Air Force valued at more than Rs 48,000 crore.”
“It is probably the biggest Make in India Defence contract till date,” Singh said. Tejas, manufactured by the HAL, is a single engine and highly agile multi-role supersonic fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environments. The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month approved the procurement of 73 Tejas Mk-IA variant and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-I trainer aircraft from the HAL to boost IAF’s combat prowess. According to Madhavan, the delivery of the Tejas LCA to the IAF under the Rs 48,000-crore deal will begin from March 2024 and around 16 aircraft will be rolled out annually till the completion of the total supply of 83 jets. Prepared to defeat any misadventures to defend territorial integrity: Rajnath: INDIA is vigilant in the face of attempts to change status quo at its border and prepared to defeat any misadventures to defend territorial integrity, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Wednesday, amid continued military stand-off with China.
“We have long witnessed unfortunate attempts to employ force to change the status quo at our unresolved borders”, Singh said at the inaugural ceremony of Aero India-2021, the country’s premier Defence and aerospace show, at Yelahanka Air Force Station here. “India is vigilant and prepared to counter and defeat any misadventures to defend our people and territorial integrity at all costs”, the Minister said. Singh also said that India plans to spend USD 130 billion on Defence modernisation in the next seven to eight years with focus on domestic manufacturing of bigger and complex platforms. The government has since 2014 brought in many reforms in defence sector to create a conducive ecosystem for exports, Foreign Direct Investment and offset discharge, he noted.
To achieve the twin goals of self-reliance and exports, the Government has set a target to achieve a turnover of Rs 1,75,000 crore in the field of Defence manufacturing, including export of Rs 35,000 crore in Aerospace and Defence goods and services, by 2024, Singh said. “We plan to spend USD 130 billion on Defence modernisation in the next seven to eight years”, he added. Like many of our friendly countries India also faces threats and challenges emanating from multiple fronts, the Union Minister said adding that the country was a “victim of state-sponsored and state inflicted terrorism which is now a global threat”. The Government has taken many steps to strengthen the country’s security apparatus recently. Domestic manufacturing of bigger and complex defence platforms has now become the focus of our policy under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan. Singh said he has been informed that about 540 exhibitors including 80 foreign companies, Defence Ministers, Delegates, Service chiefs and officials from more than 55 nations are participating in the event. “It reflects the growing optimism of the global community”, he said.
