Defence Ministry Inks Rs 62,370 Crore Deal with HAL for 97 Tejas Mk-1A Aircraft
Mega contract for indigenous Tejas jets, featuring advanced technology, to bolster Indian Air Force from 2027-28
New Delhi: The defence ministry on Thursday signed a Rs 62,370-crore deal with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 97 Tejas Mk1A light combat aircraft (LCA) for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The deal includes 68 fighters and 29 twin seaters.
The delivery of these aircraft would commence in 2027-28 and be completed over six years, the ministry said. This will be the second order for the Tejas Mk 1A fighters to the HAL. The first order was for 83 aircraft for around Rs 48,000 crore, signed in January 2021. The second order will take the total number of Tejas Mk 1A for the IAF to 180.
There has been a delay in delivery of the first order of Tejas Mk 1 due to constraints in supply of engines from the US-based General Electric (GE): HAL has not been able to deliver a single fighter to the IAF which is facing a shortage of fighting squadrons.
HAL has till date only received three F-404 engines for the aircraft.
HAL is looking to make the first delivery of two Tejas MK1A in October if missile tests carried out from these new aircraft are successful. The tests are being conducted for beyond visual range air-to-air missile Astra and advanced short range air-to-air missile (ASRAAM) among others.
HAL has produced and tested 10 Tejas M Mark 1A fighter aircraft and now is waiting to receive engines from GE. The delivery of Tejas from the first order to the Indian Air Force was expected to start in February-March 2024. But the first engine was received by HAL from GE only in March this year.
IAF is in critical need for additional fighter aircraft to replace the MiG-21 aircraft, which are being completely phased out on Friday.
The defence ministry said on Thursday that the Tejas aircraft will have an indigenous content of over 64 per cent, with 67 additional items incorporated, over and above the previous LCA Mk1A contract. 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, said the ministry.
The project is being supported by a robust vendor base of nearly 105 Indian companies engaged in the manufacture of detailed components. The production is expected to generate close to 11,750 direct and indirect jobs per year for the duration of six years, giving a major boost to the domestic aerospace ecosystem.