HAL gets contract for 83 LCAs in ₹48,000 cr. deal

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For : GS-3: Security, Defence manufacturing in India

CONTEXT:

At 13th edition of Aero India in Bengaluru, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was awarded the contract to manufacture 83 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas for the Indian Air Force (IAF) at an estimated cost of ₹48,000 crore.

Defence Minister in 13TH EDITION OF AERO INDIA:

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “We have long witnessed unfortunate attempts to employ force to change the status quo along our unresolved border.
Vigilant India: India is vigilant and prepared to counter and defeat any misadventure and defend our people and territorial integrity at all costs.
Military modernisation: Our resolve towards this is shown by our growing defence capabilities… We plan to spend $130 bn on military modernisation in the next 7-8 years.”
Global Manufacturers: He urged global defence companies to set up manufacturing units.
Threat to India: India faced threats and challenges emanating from multiple fronts and it was a victim of state-sponsored terrorism, which was now a global threat, he pointed out.
Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ conclave: Mr. Singh will hold an Indian Ocean Region (IOR) Defence Ministers’ conclave during the show, which has been restricted to three business days due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Greater regional coordination: Chief of the Air Staff R.K.S. Bhadauria said, “globally we are facing unprecedented levels of ‘
- Uncertainty,
- Volatility and
- Interconnected threats.”
  - In this regard he pitched for greater regional coordination.

HAL CONTRACT-DELIVERIES IN 8 YEARS:

Biggest Make in India defence contract: “This contract is the biggest Make in India defence contract till date.”
The contract includes:
1. 73 LCA Tejas Mk-1A fighter aircraft and
2. 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainer aircraft
Cost: At a cost of ₹45,696 crore along with design and development of infrastructure sanctions worth ₹1,202 crore.
Time to Deliver: “The deliveries of all 83 aircraft shall be completed in eight years from now. HAL will be delivering the first three aircraft in the third year and 16 aircraft per year for subsequent five years.”
‘Atmanirbhar formation for Exports’: As part of efforts to boost defence exports, HAL displayed an ‘Atmanirbhar formation’ consisting of its platforms —
1. LCA trainer,
2. HTT-40 trainer,
3. Intermediate Jet Trainer,
4. Advanced Hawk Mk-132 and
5. Civil Dornier Do-228.

HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED (HAL):

It is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company.
HQ: In Bangalore (Bengaluru), India.
It is governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence.
It has several facilities spread across India including Bangalore, Nasik, Korwa, Kanpur, Koraput, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Barrackpore and Kasaragod.
The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first fighter aircraft made in India.

13TH EDITION OF AERO INDIA:

Aero India is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held in Bengaluru, India at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is organised by the Defence Exhibition Organisation, Ministry of Defence.
The 13th edition of Aero India was held from 3 to 5 February 2021 at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bangalore, Karnataka.
The first day of the show was marked by the flypast of a Rockwell B-1 Lancer nuclear bomber from the U.S. Air Force which had come all the way from Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota.
There will also be joint shows between the Sarang and Surya Kiran aerobatic teams.
The Dassault Rafale also appeared for the first time in the colors of the Indian Air Force.

Source: The Hindu
MCQs:

Q. Which of the followings statements is/are correct regarding Hindustan Aeronautics Limited?

It is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company.
It is headquartered In Delhi.
The HAL HF-24 Marut fighter-bomber was the first fighter aircraft made in India.

Select the correct answer using the code below.

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