MoD signs Rs 62,370 crore contract with HAL for 97 LCA Mk1A fighters

New Delhi, Sep 25: The Ministry of Defence on Thursday signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the procurement of 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, including 68 single-seater fighters and 29 twin-seaters, for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The deal, valued at over Rs 62,370 crore (excluding taxes), is one of the largest-ever orders for indigenously developed fighter jets. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2027-28 and will be completed over six years.

The LCA Mk1A, designed and manufactured in India, will feature more than 64% indigenous content, with 67 additional items integrated over and above the earlier Mk1A contract signed in January 2021.

Advanced home-grown systems such as the UTTAM Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Swayam Raksha Kavach self-protection suite, and indigenously developed control surface actuators will be incorporated into the aircraft, further strengthening the government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat push. The programme will be supported by a vendor network of around 105 Indian companies supplying critical components. It is expected to generate nearly 11,750 direct and indirect jobs annually for the next six years, providing a major boost to the domestic aerospace ecosystem. The acquisition has been undertaken under the ‘Buy (India-IDDM)’ category of the Defence Acquisition Procedure 2020, which prioritises indigenously designed, developed and manufactured platforms.

Officials said the LCA Mk1A, the most advanced variant of the Tejas fighter family, will serve as a potent platform to meet the IAF’s operational requirements.