The strength of all three armies of India is going to increase manifold. The Indian Army will become stronger on the border of China and Pakistan. In fact, the Defence Acquisition Council has approved the purchase of 97 additional Tejas aircraft and 156 Prachanda combat helicopters. With this decision of the government, the Indian Air Force will become more powerful. Let us tell you that both these aircraft are indigenously developed.
This deal is worth about Rs 1.1 lakh crore. Tejas Mark 1-A fighter planes are being purchased for the Indian Air Force, and helicopters are being purchased for the Air Force as well as the Army. The Defence Procurement Council has also approved some more deals. Its total value is estimated to be Rs 2 lakh crore. With the approval of these deals, it is the largest order awarded to indigenous manufacturers in the history of India.
DAC has granted AoNs for the following today
✓ 97 Tejas Mk1A
✓ 156 HAL Prachand
✓ Upgrade of 84 Su30MKI
✓ Medium Range Anti Ship Missile
✓ Towed Gun System 155/52 calThe 2.23 lakh crore worth of clearances also includes munitions & upgrades to T-90 tanks. pic.twitter.com/gtyEYwH9i4
— Indian Aerospace Defence News – IADN (@NewsIADN) November 30, 2023
Let us tell you that the Defence Ministry had signed a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the purchase of 83 Tejas MK-1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force in February 2021.
This deal was done for Rs 48 thousand crores. Now, with this additional fleet, the number of indigenously developed Tejas aircraft to be procured by the Indian Air Force will reach 180. With this, the Government of India is ready to positively consider the proposal of the Indian Navy to build a second indigenous aircraft carrier at a cost of about Rs 40 thousand crore.
#India on Thursday accorded an initial approval to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas light combat aircraft and around 150 Prachand helicopters to boost the overall combat capability of the armed forces, official sources said.https://t.co/H0j837JaaB
— The Hindu (@the_hindu) November 30, 2023
According to the report, at least 42 fighter planes are needed to deal with China and Pakistan. The first 83 Mark-1A jets are scheduled to be delivered in the February 2024-February 2028 timeframe. The second indigenous aircraft carrier (IAC-2) will take 8–10 years to be built at the Cochin Shipyard as a repeat order of the 44,000-tonne INS Vikrant or IAC for about Rs 40,000 crore.
