The first plane of the upgraded version of Light Combat Aircraft — Tejas Mark 1A — is set to be delivered by the end of this month and six more will be delivered this year.

In all, 180 such planes are planned in two tranches.

The planes can be used for warfare over land and also for maritime strikes.

The delivery commencing in March-end is of the 83 jets ordered by the Ministry of Defence in February 2021 under a Rs 48,000 crore order to public sector giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The Defence Acquisition Council had in November last year okayed the procurement of 97 more Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets. This will be in addition to 83 such jets ordered in February 2021.

The deal for 97 jets is expected to cost around Rs 1.15 lakh crore.

The prototype of the Mark 1A version is already flying. A series of validations are being done before deliveries commence.

The Indian Air Force already has 40 Tejas Mark 1 jets. The Tejas Mark 1A is an improved version of the aircraft. It features advanced mission computer, high performance digital flight control computer, smart multi-function displays, advanced electronically scanned array radar, advanced self-protection jammer and electronic warfare suite.

Courtesy: The Tribune India: 11th March , 2024