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New Delhi. After the deal of 36 Rafale jets from France, the question arose in the country that why so few fighter jets were bought when the need was much more. The previous UPA government had done a deal for 112 Rafale aircraft. After this, it was said from the government that under the self-reliant India scheme, most of the aircraft will now be made in their own country. For the fulfillment of this objective, the Indian Air Force has planned to acquire 114 fighter aircraft for Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Under this, 96 fighter aircraft will be manufactured in India itself, while the remaining 18 aircraft will be imported from abroad in view of the urgent needs.
These 114 multirole aircraft will be acquired under Buy Global and Make in India. In this, Indian defense companies will have the freedom to partner with foreign companies. Recently, senior officers of the Indian Air Force held a meeting with some foreign vendors and asked them to manufacture fighter jets in our country under Make in India.
Payment has to be taken in Indian currency
According to the plan, initially 18 aircraft will be imported from abroad for acquisition. After this 36 aircraft will be manufactured in India. For this payment will have to be taken in foreign currency as well as in Indian currency. After this, the responsibility of making the remaining 60 fighter jets will be on the Indian partners and they will have to take payment only in Indian currency. Due to taking payment in Indian currency, foreign vendors will also have to buy at least 60 percent of the aircraft parts from India itself. This will strengthen Make in India.
Many foreign companies will participate in the tender
Indian Air Force will soon float a tender for this. It is expected that foreign companies Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Saab, MiG, Irkut Corporation and Dassault Aviation companies will participate in this tender. If these 114 fighter jets are acquired, then India’s advance over neighboring Pakistan and China will depend on these aircraft. In 2020, India had purchased 36 Rafale aircraft from France in an emergency situation during the Ladakh crisis. This helped a lot in gaining an edge over China, but this number of aircraft was not enough. More is needed for now. Therefore, there is a need to acquire 114 aircraft at the earliest.
83 aircraft already ordered
Although the Air Force has already ordered 83 LCA ie Light Combat Aircraft, but still more aircraft are needed because a large number of MiG series fighter jets have to be phased out or retired. The powerful countries of the world have a fifth generation fighter jet. India has also started working for this but it will take a lot of time. That is why the Indian Air Force is exploring its alternative in the current environment. Along with this, it is also looking for economical solutions for the needs of fighter jets. The effort of the Air Force is that the cost of operating new aircraft should be less and the capacity should also be more. The Indian Air Force is considering the Rafale jet as suitable for this.
