Ministry of Defence will take up talks on the acquisition of 97 TEJAS MK-1A aircraft and the task of upgrading 84 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets at the upcoming Defence Acquisition Council meeting on November 30. Both these projects are the biggest ever plans by the Air Force to upgrade its fleet and are going to cost Rs 1.4 lakh crore.

The mainstay Su-30MKI fighter jet fleet is set to be upgraded under a plan that will include new avionics, radars and electronic warfare suites.

The TEJAS MK-1A, known as Tejas, stands out as a modern 4-plus generation fighter aircraft, proudly boasting over 65% indigenous components. Among its notable features are an indigenously developed Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Beyond Visual Range (BVR) Missile capabilities, a sophisticated Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, and the ability for Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR).

Air Force’s plan to upgrade 84 Sukhoi 30 fighter jets marks a milestone, constituting the largest upgrade initiative within the force. Notably, the entire upgrade process for these fighter jets will be carried out in the country.

The Su-30 aircraft, a cornerstone of the Indian Air Force’s fighter fleet, was initially procured through an order of 272 units from Russia. In a recent development, an additional order for 12 Su-30MKI jets, amounting to ₹11,000 crore, was approved. These jets will be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), with over 50 per cent indigenous content.