On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a flight aboard a Tejas aircraft at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) site in Bengaluru, Karnataka. During the flight, he expressed his satisfaction with the experience and highlighted the immense pride and optimism he felt towards our nation’s indigenous capabilities. Modi also took the opportunity to share some photos from the flight. Additionally, he had plans to visit and assess HAL’s manufacturing facility, which encompasses the Tejas jet facility. Written on X.
The Prime Minister has placed great emphasis on the domestic production of defense products, underscoring his government’s efforts to promote their manufacturing within India and facilitate their exportation. Notably, numerous countries have expressed interest in procuring the Tejas light combat aircraft, and during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the United States, a collaborative agreement was signed between US defense giant GE Aerospace and HAL for the joint production of engines for the Mk-II-Tejas. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh had previously announced in April that India’s defense exports had reached an unprecedented high of ₹15,920 crore in the financial year 2022-2023, a truly commendable accomplishment for the nation.
Last October, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari announced that the Indian Air Force was in the process of finalizing a deal worth ₹1.15 lakh crore to acquire 97 more Tejas Mark-1A aircraft and upgrade 84 Sukhoi-30 MKI jets, with a total cost of ₹60,000 crore. However, in February 2021, the Defense Ministry signed a separate deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for ₹48,000 crore. With the addition of these 83 jets and the previously planned 97, the Indian Air Force will have a total of 180 indigenously developed aircraft.
The Air Force chief also mentioned that the cost of upgrading 84 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter aircraft will be a little over Rs 60,000 crore. Additionally, the Defense Ministry is considering a contract with HAL next year to purchase a total of 156 Light Combat Helicopters, with 66 intended for the Indian Air Force. Currently, the Indian Air Force operates 10 light combat helicopters. Furthermore, the contract for 83 LCA-Mark 1A has been signed, and there are plans to supplement it with an additional 97 aircraft, bringing the total to around 180 LCA-Mark-1A.
The value of this contract will be a little over Rs 1.15 lakh crore. When asked about the delivery timeline for the LCA Mark-1A, the Air Chief Marshal indicated that HAL could potentially increase production in partnership with the private sector, as they can currently produce only 15 annually. It is important to note that the procurement of LCA-Mark-1A jets is not connected to the future procurement of Tejas Mark-2 light combat aircraft.
The Tejas aircraft is a single-engine multi-role combat aircraft designed to operate in high-threat air environments, performing air defense, maritime reconnaissance, and strike roles. The maiden flight of the much-awaited Tejas Mark 2 aircraft is expected to take place in 2025.