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New Delhi: In a major decision today, the Defense Acquisition Council has approved the purchase of 97 Tejas fighter jets as well as 156 Prachand attack helicopters. The price of both is Rs 1 lakh 10 thousand crores. Both fighter aircraft are indigenous. Some more defense deals have also been approved. Tejas Mark 1-A fighter planes are being acquired for the Indian Air Force and helicopters for the Air Force and Army. The council has also approved additional deals. Their total estimated value is around Rs 2 lakh crore.
If this happens, it will be the biggest order received by indigenous manufacturers in the history of India. However, the approval given so far is an acceptance of the need. After this there will be talks for negotiation with the manufacturers. This will take time, but the period may be far shorter than it would have been if foreign manufacturers were involved.
Once the final price is negotiated, the final sign-off will be done by the cabinet committee that takes decisions on security. It may take at least 10 years for these aircraft to be finally inducted into the army.
A major upgrade of the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI aircraft is also expected to be approved on Thursday. The Indian Air Force has more than 260 Su-30 aircraft and these are expected to be upgraded in India. This will include radar, avionics and subsystems developed in India.
The Tejas MK-1A Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) is an indigenously designed and manufactured fourth generation combat aircraft with significant operational capabilities that include an active electronically-scanned array radar, an electronic warfare suite. It is capable of air-to-air refueling. It has been developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
It is India’s first self-made fighter jet and received final operational approval for induction into the Indian Air Force as a fully armed fighter jet in February 2019.
The first batch of Prachand Light Combat Helicopters was inducted into the IAF and the Army last year. The 5.8-tonne twin-engine helicopter, also developed by HAL, has a service ceiling of around 21,000 feet and has been primarily designed for deployment in high-altitude regions, including Siachen and the higher reaches of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh.
The induction of more Prachand choppers will help diversify the IAF’s attack chopper fleet, which currently consists of the HAL Rudra, US-made Apaches and Russian Mi-35s.
