Approval for purchase of 97 more LCA Mark 1A fighter planes, Air Force said this
New Delhi: Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary on Thursday said the approval given by the Defense Ministry for the purchase of 97 more LCA Mark 1A fighter aircraft is a ‘historic event’ and reflects the force’s commitment towards ‘self-reliant India’. Is.
Speaking to ANI, Air Chief Marshal Choudhary said, “It is indeed a historic event that approval has been given for the procurement of 97 additional LCA Mark 1A. You know we signed a contract for Mark 83 LCA.” 1A, deliveries of which are scheduled to begin soon in the next few months. We already had 40 LCAs of the original IOC and FOC version.”
Saying that the LCA Mark 1A is a perfect fit to replace the declining strength of the Air Force, the Air Chief Marshal said, “With this, in the long run, the strength of the Indian Air Force will increase to 220 LCA Mark 1A.” Which will equip about ten squadrons of the Air Force. “With the MiG 21 and MiG 27 and 23 fleets being decommissioned in the past, it is a perfect fit to replace the declining force.”
He said, “This is a very capable and powerful aircraft and it inspires our confidence in the capabilities of the Indian defense industry. This shows that we are strongly committed to a self-reliant India and are ensuring that a large number of items in our inventory are made in India.” ,
Earlier, on Thursday, the Defense Ministry approved the proposal to procure 97 LCA Mark 1A fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force at a cost of about Rs 65,000 crore.
According to defense officials, the proposal to purchase 156 LCH Prachanda helicopters has also been approved by the Defense Acquisition Council, while the upgrade plan of 84 Su-30MKI fighter aircraft has also been approved. The proposals are worth Rs 1.6 lakh crore and are all indigenous projects.
On the procurement of LCH Prachanda helicopters, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal VR Choudhary said, “The need for a very agile combat helicopter was felt soon after the Kargil conflict and this indigenous development of LCH or Prachanda has provided an opportunity.” This area of helicopter warfare operations has enhanced our war fighting capability tremendously.”
“We initially procured 10 of those light combat helicopters for the Indian Air Force and they have proved their worth. They are indeed very agile, they are capable of performing multiple tasks even at high altitudes and these will definitely enhance the capability of the armed forces and especially the Air Force,” he said.
The Air Chief said that after the acquisition of 156 LCHs, it is most likely that the Air Force will stop importing combat helicopters.
“This huge consignment of 156 LCHs should be sufficient to meet the requirements of both our Army and Air Force,” he said.
Describing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent flight in the Tejas aircraft as a “historic event”, the Air Force chief said it gives confidence to the Indian domestic manufacturing ecosystem as it has received support from the highest office in the country.
“The efforts of so many people in the industry, in the defense industry, have really borne fruit and now we are also able to export this aircraft to other countries. You have seen the follow on order that will come from the Air Force for 97 additional LCA. All this is a big step towards self-reliance. “It was a tremendous message not only for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Armed Forces but also for the Indian defense industry,” he said.
