the Defence Ministry on Thursday cleared the proposal for acquiring 97 Light Combat Aircraft Mark 1A fighter jets for Indian Air Force at a cost of around Rs 65,000 crore.
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government is set to give a big push to indigenisation in the defence sector as the Defence Ministry is scheduled to hold a meeting to discuss projects worth around Rs 2 lakh crore including two mega fighter aircraft projects and the light atta
Indian public sector aerospace and defence manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics, which currently has the capacity to build eight Light Combat Aircraft per year, intends to take up to 24 in the course of the next three years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew in a twin-seater trainer LCA aircraft which was delivered to the Indian Air Force by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited last month.
In a significant development amid the ongoing push for indigenisation of military weapon systems, the made-in-India Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mark1A would be fitted with the 'Uttam' radar and the 'Angad' electronic warfare suite, replacing the imported systems installed previously.
"Today is a momentous day and a matter of pride for me to accept the first two-seater LCA aircraft. This day will go down in history as a really remarkable one that exemplifies the prowess of the Indian domestic aviation industry," Chaudhari said speaking at the ceremony.
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over the first Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) twin-seater trainer version aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
The list of weapon systems and platforms includes the 180 Light Combat Aircraft Mark1A, 156 Light Combat Helicopters, Light Utility Choppers and many other weapon systems which are supposed to form a large chunk of the service in coming times.
The missile release was successfully carried out from the aircraft at an altitude of about 20,000 ft and all the objectives of the test were met and it was a perfect textbook launch, the Ministry of Defence said.
The Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari reviewed the status of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme in Air Headquarters, an official statement said on Wednesday.
The Indian Air Force keeps moving its aircraft in both the union territories in the Northern sector including Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to give them the experience of flying there in their unique terrain.
The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) will complete seven years of service in the Indian Air Force on July 1. Christened Tejas in 2003, the aircraft is a multi- role platform that ranks amongst the best in its class. It has been designed to undertake the Air Defence, Maritime Reconnaiss