The deal will change the game of independence in Indian defense production: Rajnath
In the biggest deal for local government defense, the Security Cabinet Committee (CCS) approved on Wednesday the production of 83 Light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at a cost of about 47,000 kroner.
“The cabinet met under the chairmanship of the prime minister in New Delhi on January 13 and approved the procurement of 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 training aircraft at a cost of 45,696 kroner, along with the design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth 1202 kroner, “said a statement from the Ministry of Defense. To see also : Protecting High-Level Personnel from IMSI Catchers.
“This deal will change the game of independence in India’s defense industry,” Defense Minister Rajnat Singh said on Twitter.
The local content of LCA-Tejas is 50% in the MK1A variant and will be increased to 60% by the end of the program, he added.
40 modifications
The MK-1A will have over 40 modifications over the MK1 variant, including some basic ones such as an electronic warfare system, advanced electronic scanned array radar (AESA), out-of-range missiles (BVR) and a network warfare system that includes software-defined SDR radio). said a defense official. Read also : Joe Biden’s war on corruption in Central America – Foreign and security policy.
The modifications will be included in the LCA at the same time as production, once the deal is signed, a defense official said.
The Cabinet also approved the development of IAF infrastructure under the project to allow them to handle repairs or maintenance at its base depot, so that lead times are reduced for critical systems and lead to greater aircraft readiness for operational operation, the statement said, “This would allow the IAF to maintain the fleet more efficiently and effectively due to the availability of repair infrastructure at the respective bases,” he added.
The first LCA MK-1A is expected to be launched from 2023-24 onwards, from which HAL plans to increase production speed to 16 aircraft per year. Until the construction of the second line, the production of both lines was maintained on eight aircraft per year to support assembly due to limited orders. “A third production line will also be ready by 2023-24 for further production growth,” the official said.
Outsourcing work sharing
For MK-1A, HAL assigns a significant part of the work to the private industry, while acting as a “system of system integrators”. HAL has over 550 suppliers for LCA, which includes five construction companies. This may interest you : ArtGrails to present Nicky Diamonds' debut NFT – Yahoo Canada Finance.
The IAF has ordered 40 LCA Tejas in two batches of 20 in Initial Operational Release (IOC) and Final Operational Release (FOC) configurations and has deployed two squadrons. To date, 16 IOC aircraft have been delivered to it, forming the first squadron to be commissioned in July 2016. Delivery of the FOC aircraft has also begun with improved weapon capability, improved combat equipment, refueling capability and advanced features for low speed operation.
The 40 aircraft also include a variant of eight trainers to be delivered from 2023 onwards.
“High priority”
In a recent conversation with The Hindu, Chief of Air Marshal RKS Bhadhauria described the deal as “high priority”. Last May, the IAF officially launched FOC’s first standard LCA and launched its second N0 LCA squadron. 18 “Flying Bullets”.
After the conclusion of the deal, the order book for LCA Tejas will be increased to 123. LCA MK-2 is also being developed.
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