India to buy 200 fighter jets for Air Force: Defence Secy
Kolkata: Defence secretary Ajay Kumar on Sunday said that the government is in the process of acquiring around 200 aircraft to cope with the depleting aerial inventories of the Indian Air Force.
The contract for HAL-manufactured 83 LCA Tejas Mark 1 A advanced fighter jets are in the final stages, he said.
Apart from these, Expression of Interest (EOI) has been floated for another 110 aircraft, based on which Request for Proposal (RFP) will be floated, Kumar said.
"Roughly (for) 200 aircrafts, the acquisition is in process," he said.
"We are in the process of finalising the contract for 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mark 1 A, which are advanced fighters to meet the urgent needs of India," the defence secretary told reporters on the sidelines of commissioning Indian Coast Guard vessels here.
Kumar said that the contract for the LCAs will be signed "definitely this year". "We want to do it as soon as possible," the defence secretary said when asked whether a time frame has been finalised by which the new aircraft are to be acquired.
Kumar said that with the design having been finalised, state-run aerospace behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will be ramping up production of the LCA Mark 1 A jets from 8 to 16 per year.
"If required, through outsourcing, we can further enhance it," he said. The Air Force has Sukhoi 30 MKIs, Mirage 2000s, Mig 29s, and the ageing Jaguars and Mig 21 Bisons in its inventory of fighter jets at present.
The last fleet of seven swing-wing MiG-27 fighters, which played an important role during the 1999 Kargil war, was decommissioned on December 27.
Meanwhile, the naval version of the indigenously-built Tejas light combat aircraft on Sunday successfully took off from the "ski-jump" deck of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya in a big leap in the overall development of the jet.
The ski-jump is the upwardly curved ramp on the deck of aircraft carriers designed to provide sufficient take-off lift for fighter jets.
"The naval version of Tejas achieved another important milestone today by successfully undertaking the maiden ski-jump take-off from INS Vikramaditya," a Navy spokesperson said.
On Saturday, the aircraft made its first landing on the deck of INS Vikramaditya which was also a major milestone. Both the landing and take off by the aircraft put India among a select group of nations having the capability to design such a jet that can operate from an aircraft carrier.
"This landmark event demonstrates professional commitment and synergy between various agencies ADA, HAL, CEMILAC and Indian Navy in harnessing the potential of our scientists, engineers and naval flight testing community towards meeting the expectations of the nation," the Indian Navy tweeted.
