Green signal for purchase of 97 Tejas aircraft and 156 Prachanda helicopters, important decision of Modi government
New Delhi: In a major boost to military and defense production in India, the Defense Procurement Board has approved the procurement of 97 additional Tejas aircraft and 156 Prachanda attack helicopters. Both the aircraft are indigenously developed and the value of these deals is around 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 Defense Acquisition Council has also approved some more deals and the total value is estimated to be around Rs 2 lakh crore. With these deals approved, this is the largest order for indigenous manufacturers in the history of India.
With the additional fleet, the number of indigenously developed Tejas aircraft to be procured by the Indian Air Force will reach 180. In February 2021, the Defense Ministry had signed a Rs 48,000 crore deal with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to procure 83 Tejas MK-1A aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
Further, the Government of India is ready to positively consider the Indian Navy’s proposal to build a second indigenous aircraft carrier at a cost of approximately Rs 40,000 crore. This is a major step that comes in the backdrop of concerns arising from China’s increasing activities in the Indian Ocean region.
Top government sources said the Defense Procurement Board (DPB), the premier body of the Defense Ministry, has given in-principle approval to the ambitious proposal, indicating the government’s readiness to acquire a second indigenous aircraft carrier, to be known as IAC-2. will be known. He said that the big procurement proposal will soon be placed before the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), the apex procurement body of the Defense Ministry.
