The indigenously produced light combat aircraft ‘Tejas’ would not be enlisted as a successor for the MIG-21 fighter jet, according to the Defence Ministry. Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt stated in a written statement in the Rajya Sabha that Tejas is being added to the defence fleet as part of the Indian Air Force’s modernization (IAF).
He further stated that a total of Rs 6,653 crore has been spent on the production of 24 LCA Tejas that have been delivered as of September 30. Considering the deal with aircraft producer Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the minister informed the Upper House that the IAF will construct a total of 123 Tejas fighter aircraft.
‘Further production depends upon the requirement of Indian defence services or export to customers’, he added.
The acquisition of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 Trainer aircraft for the IAF was authorised by the Central government in January at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore. All 83 aircraft are expected to be delivered within eight years. As per the government, HAL will deliver the first three aircraft in the third year and 16 aircraft every year for the next five years.
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The Light Combat Aircraft Mk-1A version is a state-of-the-art current 4+ generation fighter aircraft conceived, produced, and manufactured entirely in India.
The aircraft is equipped with essential operational capabilities like an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a beyond visual range (BVR) missile, an electronic warfare (EW) suite, and air to air refuelling (AAR), making it a formidable platform to satisfy the IAF’s operational needs.
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