India To Buy 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft For Rs 48,000 Crore
In a major decision, the Modi government on Wednesday approved the procurement of 83 indigenously-developed light combat aircraft Tejas for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore. “The LCA Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in (the) years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies, many of which were never attempted in India,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted. Also
According to Singh, the deal of 83 LCA Mk-1A jets will be a game changer for self-reliance in Indian defence manufacturing. The jets to be ordered include 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft at the cost of ₹45,696 crore, along with the design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth Rs 1,202 crore, the defence ministry said in a statement.
“The LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atmanirbhar-self-sustaining ecosystem,” Singh tweeted and thanked the Prime Minister for the landmark decision.
“The Light Combat Aircraft-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were never attempted in India. The indigenous content of LCA-Tejas is 50% in Mk1A variant which will be enhanced to 60%,” he added.
