IAF looking at procurement contracts worth over ₹2.5 lakh crore, says Air chief

On the situation along the LAC with China, the Air Chief said the operational plans of the IAF were dynamic and can change as per the developing situation. He said that in places where the IAF “cannot counter in terms of numbers”, it will do so through “better tactics”.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) is looking at procuring 97 additional indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA)-Mk1A fighter jets at an estimated cost of ₹1.15 lakh crore, Air Chief Marshal V. R. Chaudhari said on October 3.

The procurement will take the LCA-MK1A fleet strength to 180. The IAF is looking at several contracts worth ₹2.5 lakh crore to ₹3 lakh crore in the next few years, he said.

On the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, he said the operational plans of the IAF were dynamic and can change as per the developing situation. He said that in places where the IAF “cannot counter in terms of numbers”, it will do so through “better tactics”.

Acknowledging the delays in the delivery of the S-400 air defence systems from Russia due to the war in Ukraine, the Air chief said three regiments had been delivered and expressed confidence that the remaining two would be delivered next year. The Air chief was addressing the annual press conference ahead of the 91st Air Force Day on October 8.

Elaborating on the modernisation plans and the indigenous push, Air Chief Marshal Chaudhari said the Army and the Air Force were looking at signing a contract for 156 Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) in the coming year. Of these, 66 would be be for the Air Force.

“The contract value we anticipate is ₹45,000 crore. Apart from that, we had already signed a ₹6,000-crore contract for 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft. We have in the pipeline the upgrade of SU-30MKI, 84 of them; the value is anticipated to be a little over ₹6,000 crore,” he said.

The weapons systems Akash-NG, medium-range surface-to-air missile (MR-SAM), air defence system Pusa, ballistic missile system Pralav, and so on are among the contracts that the IAF is expecting to sign in the coming year, he said.