The purchase of 97 Tejas Light Combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) was approved by the Union Defence Ministry on Thursday, meaning that India would soon have access to additional fighter jets.
Additionally, the purchase of 156 Prachand Combat helicopters has been approved. Sixty-six of these are IAF helicopters and ninety are Army helicopters. The indigenous Prachand helicopters and Tejas planes are valued at Rs 1.1 lakh crore each.
The Defence Acquisition Council also cleared the Indian Air Force’s Su-30 fighter aircraft upgrade programme.
Tejas Mark-1A is an indigenously designed, developed and manufactured fighter aircraft with more than 65 per cent indigenous components.
