Acquisition of 83 LCA Tejas aircraft will create over 50,000 jobs
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the government’s decision for the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will help to create more than 50,000 jobs in the country.
“We have given approval for the acquisition of 83 indigenous LCA Tejas fighter jets from HAL.” Mr. Singh said during the Veterans Day event in Bengaluru.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on Wednesday cleared the purchase of 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas at a cost of Rs 48,000 crore, the biggest ever deal in the indigenous military aviation sector.
The approval by the CCS, which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, comes 10 months after the Defence Acquisition Council in March 2020 okayed the procurement of 83 more advanced Mark 1A version of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA).
“The LCA Tejas is going to be the backbone of the IAF fighter fleet in (the) years to come. LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies, many of which were never attempted in India,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, adding that the deal was a “game-changer for self-reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing (sector)”, he had tweeted.
Singh added HAL has already set up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru divisions.