In a major boost to the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ initiative, the Defence Ministry on Monday signed a contract with State-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for 240 AL-31FP aero engines for Su-30MKI aircraft at a cost of over Rs 26,000 crore.

Official sources said the aero-engines will be manufactured by the Koraput division of HAL and are expected to fulfil the need of the Indian Air Force to sustain the operational capability of the Su-30 fleet.

The deal for the engines comes amid concerns over the depleting fleet of the IAF’s fighter squadrons and delays in the supply of Tejas jets by HAL. The number of the IAF’s fighter squadrons has come down to around 30 as against the authorised strength of at least 42.

The contract agreement was inked by senior officials of the ministry and the HAL in the presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari. The HAL would supply 30 aero-engines annually as per the contractual delivery schedule. The supply of all 240 engines would be completed over the next eight years, according to the defence ministry.

“During manufacturing, HAL plans to take support from the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, involving MSMEs and public and private industries,” said the official.

“By the end of the delivery programme, HAL would enhance the indigenisation content up to 63 per cent to achieve an average of over 54 per cent,” the defence ministry said. It said this would also help increase the indigenous content of repair and overhaul tasks of the aero-engines.