Government has approved procurement of 83 Light Combat Aircrafts (LCA) Tejas worth about Rs 48,000 crore from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for Indian Air Forces. The Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today met in New Delhi.

In a series of tweets, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this deal will be a game changer for self reliance in the Indian defence manufacturing. He said the LCA-Tejas is going to be the backbone of the Indian Air Forces fighter fleet in the years to come. He added that LCA-Tejas incorporates a large number of new technologies many of which were hitherto unattempted in India.

The Defence Minister said the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL has already set-up second line manufacturing facilities at its Nasik and Bengaluru Divisions. Equipped with the augmented infrastructure, the HAL will steer LCA-Mk1A production for timely deliveries to the Indian Air Forces. Mr Singh further said the decision taken today will considerably expand the current LCA ecosystem and help in creating new job opportunities.

The Defence Minister said the LCA-Tejas programme would act as a catalyst for transforming the Indian aerospace manufacturing ecosystem into a vibrant Atma Nirbhar or a self-sustaining ecosystem. Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, India is continuously growing in its power to indigenously design, develop and manufacture advanced cutting edge technologies and systems in the Defence Sector. 

The manufacturing of Light Combat Aircraft by HAL will give a further push to Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and boost indigenisation of defence production and the defence industry in the country. About 500 Indian companies including MSMEs in the design and manufacturing sectors will be working with HAL in this procuremen