Purchase of MK-1A, MK-1 aircraft …
As part of the latest deal, the Center will purchase 73 light Tejas fighter jets (MK-1A) and 10 light Tejas Trainer aircraft (MK-1) aircraft. While Rs 45,696 crore will be spent for this, another Rs 1,202 crore will be spent on infrastructure design and development. The latest defense deal was announced by Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter. He said the massive deal would contribute to India’s self-sufficiency in the defense sector as a game-changer.
With cutting-edge capabilities …
The Tejas light fighter Mk-1A variant is a domestically developed state-of-the-art Four Plus generation fighter. It has critical capabilities such as Active Electronic Scan Array (AESA) radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missile, Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, and Air to Air Refueling (AAR). Rajnath Singh said the aircraft would be the backbone of the Indian Air Force in the years to come.
Boosting for domestic defense products …
The agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics is like an incentive for Atmanirbhar India … it will contribute to domestic defense products, the central government said in a statement. Hindustan Aeronautics has already set up second-line manufacturing units in Nashik and Bangalore. Tejas has made it clear that nearly 500 small and medium-sized industries in India will work with Hindustan Aeronautics to design warplanes.
