India signs largest order for homegrown Tejas jets, worth $7 bn

India has signed a $7 billion deal to procure 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets, the Ministry of Defence said on Thursday. The move comes as the Indian Air Force phases out its Russian-origin MiG-21 fleet after decades of service.

The order for the Tejas jets is among the largest placed by India for fighter aircraft in one tranche. The Tejas, commissioned into the Air Force in 2016, will now be delivered in an upgraded Mk-1A version.

In a statement, the ministry said it had “signed a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procurement of 97 Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, including 68 fighters and 29 twin seaters.”

HAL, a state-owned defence company, led the production with contributions from more than 100 Indian firms. The aircraft has “an indigenous content of over 64 percent,” the ministry said.

“The delivery of these aircraft would commence during 2027-28 and be completed over a period of six years,” it added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the deal would enhance combat readiness. “This contract reflects the trust and confidence of the Government and the Armed Forces in the indigenously developed aircraft Tejas, which will be the mainstay of the IAF (Indian Air Force) in the years to come,” he said.

India will hold a flypast ceremony on Friday at a major air force base in Chandigarh to mark the retirement of its last MiG-21 jets. The final batch of 36 aircraft will be phased out, closing a chapter that began in the 1960s.

India inducted 874 MiG-21s, which participated in multiple conflicts. Around 400 crashes killed about 200 pilots over the years, leading to the “flying coffin” label.

Angad Singh, co-author of a book on the MiGs, said India had “originally planned” to retire the jets by the mid-1990s but was forced to extend their service. “There was no choice but to upgrade them to squeeze more life out of it,” he said.

In April, India signed another multi-billion-dollar deal to acquire 26 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation, adding to the 36 Rafales already in service.

India is also working with a French company to develop fighter jet engines domestically. In May, the government approved a prototype of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

In recent years, India has expanded its defence production capacity, opening a large helicopter factory, launching its first home-built aircraft carrier, warships and submarines, and conducting missile tests, including the Agni-Prime on Wednesday. The latest test used a railway-based launch system and had a range of 2,000 km.

(With inputs from agencies)