IAF gets boost: MoD signs Rs 62,370 crore deal for 97 Tejas Mark-1A jets

In major boost for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 97 Tejas Mark-1A for Rs 62, 370 crore, excluding taxes.

The 97 jets are in addition to the 83 such aircraft already ordered by the Ministry of Defence from the HAL.

The contract signed today is for producing 68 fighters and 29 twin seaters — used for training purposes, along with associated equipment, for the IAF.  The delivery of these aircraft would commence during 2027-28 and be completed over a period of six years, the MoD said in statement.

Giving a push to self-reliance, the aircraft will have an indigenous content of over 64 per cent, with 67 additional items incorporated, over and above the previous contract of the 83 jets of the same plane signed in January 2021. The integration of advanced indigenously developed systems such as the ‘Uttam Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, electronic protection suite will further strengthen the ‘Aatmanirbharta’ initiatives.

The project is being supported by a robust vendor base of nearly 105 Indian companies directly engaged in the manufacture of detailed components. The MoD, the production is expected to generate close to 11,750 direct and indirect jobs per year for the duration of six years.

These 97 jets would be the most advanced variant of the indigenously designed and manufactured Tejas aircraft.

In April last year, the MoD has asked public sector giant HAL to submit its commercial bid for producing 97 Tejas Mark-1A jets.

The MoD holds a majority stake in the HAL, a listed company. The final approval for the acquisition of 97 LCA Mark 1A fighters was given by a high-level meeting last month.

The programme will help the IAF to replace its fleet of MiG- 21s, which are finally being phased out tomorrow at ceremony at Chandigarh.

In all, 180 of the Tejas Mark 1A are to be supplied in two tranches. The first tranche is of the 83 such jets ordered by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in February 2021 under a Rs 48,000 crore order, the contract for second tranche of 97 jets was signed today.

Separately, the IAF already has 40 Tejas Mark1 jets.

The IAF presently has 31 squadrons (16-18 planes each) of fighter jets against the mandate of 42 to tackle a collusive two-front threat against Pakistan and China. With the phasing out of the MiG 21, the strength would be down to 29 squadrons.

The IAF’s fleets of Jaguar, MiG-29 and Mirage 2000, all inducted in phases during the 1980s, are slated to retire in batches beyond 2029-30. These four types of jets are about 250 in number and are presently operating on an extended life cycle.

As per the plan, India needs to produce some 500 fighter jets for the IAF in the next two decades.