This week, the Defense Ministry is going to hold an important meeting to talk about two of India’s biggest fighter aircraft projects, which together are worth 1.3 lakh crore. These projects include buying 97 new LCA Mark 1A fighter aircraft and upgrading 84 Su-30 MKI combat planes in-house.
“The projects are scheduled to come up for discussion at the Defence Ministry meeting scheduled on November 30.”
Sources say the 97 LCA Mark1A project will help the country build a strong ecosystem for making fighter aircraft all over the country. It will also help the Indian Air Force replace its MiG-21 fleet, which is being phased out. The two projects will be talked about at the November 30 meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council.
The Indian Air Force has already placed an order for 83 LCA Mark 1A fighter planes. They should begin arriving in February or March 2024.
About ₹65,000 crore is thought to be the value of the 97 planes. This would be the biggest deal for fighter planes in the country’s history.
The Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft project upgrade program is also one of the biggest programs ever that is going to be done entirely by Indians. Indian weapons, sensors, and radars will be put on Russian-made planes as part of this program. It is thought that the project will cost around ₹ 64,000 crores.
This plane will be designed and built entirely by the Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. They will also install the newest Virupaksha AESA radars on the plane.
Over 260 Su-30 fighter jets are already in service with the Indian Air Force. They are their main type of plane. Different groups of jets have been added over time, and they now make up about half of the fighter fleet.
The Indian Air Force also sees the Su-30MKI fleet upgrade plan as a way to make money by selling goods to other countries. This is because many countries in Southeast Asia and Africa use the plane and can use these solutions to give their fleets more advanced features.
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