97 Tejas jets, 150 helicopters: DAC clears procurement of Rs 2.23 lakh crore defence equipment from domestic firms

Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Thursday approved the proposal for procurement of Rs 2.23.5 lakh crore defence equipment from domestic companies.

The Defence Ministry was scheduled to take up two of India's biggest-ever fighter aircraft projects worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore for discussion in a crucial meeting this week including buying 97 new LCA Mark 1A fighter aircraft and indigenously upgrading 84 Su-30 MKI combat planes.

The council has cleared procurement of additional batch of 97 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft, Su-30 fighter aircrafts and nearly 150 Prachand Light Combat Helicopters.


The Indian Air Force has already ordered 83 LCA Mark1A fighter planes and their deliveries are expected to start in February-March 2024.

The value of the 97 aircraft is expected to be around Rs 65,000 crore which would be the largest ever fighter aircraft deal in the country.

According to ANI sources, the Indian firm Hindustan Aeronautics Limited will be doing the complete design and development work on the aircraft which includes equipping the aircraft with the latest Virupaksha AESA radars.

The Su-30 fighter jets are the mainstay of the Indian Air Force with 260 of them already in service. The jets have been inducted in different batches and have now formed around 50 per cent of the fighter fleet.

The Su-30MKI fleet upgrade plan is also seen by the Indian Air Force as an opportunity for exports as many countries in Southeast Asia and Africa operate the plane and can use these solutions to provide advanced capabilities to their fleets.

(With inputs from agencies)