In a major boost to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project Make in India products, Indian Air force has issued the request for proposal (RFP) for acquisition of 83 Tejas light Combat Aircraft from Bengaluru headquartered defence major Hindustan Aeronautics limited(HAl). A one line press release from HAl confirms RFP from IAF for the acquisition of 83 Tejas fighter jets. HAl produces indogenously produces, Tejas single engine fighter jets for the IAF.
Recently The light Combat Aircraft (lCA) - Tejas SP-7 completed its maiden flight from HAl Airport in Bengaluru piloted by Gp. Capt. KK Venugopal. The lCA Tejas SP-7 will be the sixth member of the No.45 Squadron of the Indian Air Force also called the 'Flying Daggers'.
The decision of the IAF to send an RFP for 83 Tejas is a very significant progress in the annals of HAl which was little worried over the acquisition of Rafael from France by IAF.
An official of the HAl on the condition of anonymity said the order by the IAF for Tejas would boost the prospects of fighter jet production in the country. He said “ this is only an RFP and it might add to the number we have already committed. The IAF has already acquired five Tejas to the flying daggers squadron.
An official said as per the RFP 73 will be upgraded version (Mark IA) and 10 will be the two seater trainer version. HAl is expected to submit its proposal in 90 days time . HAl is building 40 Tejas fighter jets as per the FOC standards of IAF. It was under then Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar approved a procurement of 83 fighter jets (lCA Mark1 A) so far a formal order is yet to be placed. IAF wants more sophisticated radars and systems to be included in Tejas as per the requirement. HAl with the assistance of Ministry of Defence is expected to double the production of Tejas to eight per year from four now.
India’s light Combat Aircraft (lCA) together with its variants, is the smallest and lightest Multi-Role Supersonic Fighter Aircraft of its class. This single engine, Compound-Delta-Wing, Tailless Aircraft is designed and developed by ADA with HAl as the principal partner along with DRDO, CSIR, BEl, DGAQA, IAF & IN to meet diverse needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy (IN).
The lCA programme was launched in the early eighties for two primary purposes. The principal and most obvious goal was the development of a replacement aircraft for India's ageing MiG-21 fighters. The MiG-21 had been the mainstay of the Indian Air Force since the 1970s. The other main objective was to give an impetus for an across-the-board advancement of India's domestic aviation capability. It is the smallest lightweight, multi-role, single-engine tactical fighter aircraft in the world and is being developed in single-seat fighter and twin seat trainer variants for the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy.
The Tejas is designed to carry a veritable plethora of air to air, air to surface, precision guided and standoff weaponry. In the air to air arena, the Tejas carries long range beyond visual range weapons, with highly agile high off-boresight missiles to tackle any close combat threat. A wide variety of air to ground munitions and an extremely accurate navigation and attack system allow it to prosecute surface targets over land or at sea with unparalleled accuracy, giving the Tejas true multi/swing role capability.