Union government approves procurement of 97 Tejas fighter jets
- The retirement of the MiG-21 fighter jets, which have been in service with the Indian Air Force for many years, is set to be completed in the next few weeks.I n their place, the Union government is keen to induct indigenously manufactured state-of-the-art aircraft into the force.
- As part of this, a few years ago, a contract was awarded to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to purchase 83 Tejas Mark 1A aircraft worth about Rs. 48,000 crore. This scheme, which promotes indigenization, has also created a huge business opportunity for small and medium enterprises in the defense sector across the country.
- In this context, in order to further strengthen the Indian Air Force, a high-level committee meeting has given final approval to the plan to purchase an additional 97 Tejas Mark 1A fighter jets.
- These aircraft will be manufactured and supplied by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Compared to the initial Tejas aircraft, the Mark 1A aircraft will have advanced avionics, sophisticated radars and more than 65% indigenous components.
- The Asian Shooting Championship is underway in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Indian shooter Manu Bhaker participated in the 10m Air Pistol event yesterday. China's Jianghe Ma won the gold medal in the event by scoring 243.2 points. South Korea's Jin Yang won the silver medal by scoring 241.5 points. Manu Bhaker won the bronze medal by scoring 219.7 points.
- In the team event, the team of Manu Bhaker, Sruchi Singh and Palak Gulia representing India won the bronze medal by scoring 1730 points and finishing third. In the competition, China won the gold medal with 1740 points, while Korea won the bronze medal with 1731 points.
