Govt to buy Tejas fighters for ₹48k cr
The cabinet committee on security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the ₹48,000-crore purchase of 83 light combat aircraft (LCA-Tejas) from state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), in the biggest contract awarded to India’s homegrown military aviation industry.
The approval by the CCS, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comes 10 months after the defence acquisition council in March 2020 greenlighted the procurement of 83 of the more advanced Mark 1A version of the LCA.
According to the plan, HAL is to deliver 73 fighters and 10 trainers by 2026. The LCA-Tejas Mark 1A will have more than 40 “improvements” over an initial order of 40 LCA-Tejas aircraft ordered by IAF in a deal worth almost ₹9,000 crore in 2016. The latest aircraft is categorized as a fourth-generation plus fighter jet, a defence ministry statement said.
