Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has revised its contract with the Indian Air Force (IAF) to deliver Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1 Final Operational Clearance (FOC) fighter fighters. The original contract, signed on December 23, 2010, was valued at Rs 5,989.39 crore. Due to changes in the delivery schedule, the contract’s value has been amended to Rs 6,542.20 crore.
In a regulatory statement on Thursday, HAL stated, “We like to tell you that the business has signed today an addendum to the LCA Mk1 FOC Contract dated December 23, 2010. The contract value has been amended from Rs 5,989.39 crore to Rs 6,542.20 crore due to changes in the delivery schedule.”
This revision comes as the Tejas jets are expected to constitute the backbone of the IAF’s fleet in the coming years.
Tejas Mk1A: India’s Indigenous Fighter Jet
The Tejas aircraft, designed locally, is a flexible combat vehicle. It is primarily intended for air combat and offensive air support tasks, with reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations as supplementary capabilities. The updated Tejas Mk1A model features cutting-edge technologies such as an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile capability, an Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, and Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR).
This is the first “Buy (Indian-Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured)” category acquisition of combat aircraft. The indigenous content is currently at 50%, with ambitions to boost it to 60% by the program’s end. 250 of the aircraft’s 344 systems are manufactured in India.
GE Aerospace Delivers First Engine for Tejas Mk1A
HAL received the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines from American defense producer GE Aerospace, which provided a significant boost to the development. This is a significant step toward ramping up manufacturing and meeting India’s demand for modern fighter aircraft.
On Tuesday, GE Aerospace stated, “We were excited to deliver the first of 99 F404-IN20 engines to our valued customer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft Mk1A fighter jet. It is an important milestone in our 40-year relationship with HAL and in our efforts to ensure a strong future for India’s military by developing next-generation fighters while enhancing the country’s defence manufacturing capabilities.”
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