IAF deputy chief to guide the latest project of 48,000 cr Tejas.
Key sentence:
- The Defence Ministry awarded HAL a ₹48,000-crore agreement to supply the IAF with 83 LCA Mk-1A jets.
- The overall number of ordered Tejas models will take the deal only for 83 Mk-1A jets to 123.
- The trainer aircraft for IAF in IOC, FOC as well as LCA Mk-1A configurations will be developed by this facility.
The team that will control the ₹48,000 crore LCA (light combat aircraft) Mk-1A contract allocated to state-run aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a senior defence ministry official, will be led by a three-star Indian Air Force officer at Aero India 2021 from Thursday.
The monitoring group will ensure that the 83 aircraft are delivered on schedule.
As VL Kantha Rao, the ministry’s director-general stated:
The integrated project monitoring committee led by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff would closely monitor the execution of the contract right after the formation of the agreement.
“A biannual review from all stakeholders is planned to make the necessary course corrections to allow HAL to deliver the rated production,” informed VL Kantha Rao, the ministry’s director-general (acquisition).
The deputy chief is also supervising the Rafale project.
The Defence Ministry granted HAL a ₹48,000-crore agreement:
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry awarded HAL a ₹48,000-crore agreement to supply the IAF with 83 LCA Mk-1A jets. Around three years, the first Mk-1A aircraft will also be delivered to the air force, with the remainder being supplied by 2030. The contract includes the distribution of 73 Mk-1A fighter jets as well as 10 LCA Mk-1 trainers.
Rajnath Singh inaugurated HAL’s second LCA plant:
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated HAL’s second LCA plants in the city on Tuesday to raise the fighter jet’s annual production rate around eight to 16.
The deal for the 83 Mk-1A jets will take Tejas variants ordered to 123:
The overall number of ordered Tejas models will take the deal only for 83 Mk-1A jets to 123. In the initial operational clearance (IOC) as well as the more sophisticated final operational clearance (FOC) arrangements, the 40 LCAs already approved by IAF are. Additional upgrades to the FOC aircraft will arrive with the LCA Mk-1A, creating it the most advanced Tejas version to date.
As further Rao stated:
The trainer aircraft for IAF in IOC, FOC as well as LCA Mk-1A configurations will be developed by this facility, Rao added. HAL will fulfil the delivery deadlines for the 83 aircraft with both the current elements of the supply chain, including the vendor base, he continued.
