On Thursday, the Defence Ministry signed a Rs 62,370 crore deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to purchase 97 LCA Mk1A fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The contract comprises 68 single-seater and 29 twin-seater jets along with the respective equipment.
Deliveries of these aircraft are to start in 2027-28 and will be completed within six years, the ministry said. The aircraft will have more than 64% indigenous content, including 67 new components compared to the earlier LCA Mk1A contract inked in January 2021.
The integration of advanced indigenously developed systems such as the UTTAM Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach, and control surface actuators will further strengthen the Aatmanirbharta initiatives. The project is being supported by a robust vendor base of nearly 105 Indian companies directly engaged, the ministry said.
HAL has also just taken delivery of the third GE-404 engine for the LCA-MK1A (Tejas Mk1A), with a fourth engine forthcoming. The MK1A variant includes improvements in combat avionics and refuelling in mid-air.
The HAL Nashik division has a workforce of 2,207, including 1,188 technical experts, 624 technical support personnel, and 395 engineers.
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