New Delhi : In a boost for local defence manufacturing, the Centre on Monday signed a Rs 26,000 crore contract with the Hindustan Aeronauti...
New Delhi: In a boost for local defence manufacturing, the Centre on Monday signed a Rs 26,000 crore contract with the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 240 aero engines (AL-31FP) for Su-30 MKI aircraft.
According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), these
aero engines will be manufactured by the Koraput Division of HAL, and are
expected to fulfil the need of the Indian Air Force (IAF) to sustain the
operational capability of the Su-30 fleet for the defence preparedness of the
country.
HAL would supply 30 aero-engines per annum as per
the contractual delivery schedule. The supply of all 240 engines would be
completed over the period of the next eight years, according to the ministry.
HAL plans to take support from the country’s
defence manufacturing ecosystem, involving MSMEs and public and private
industries for manufacturing these aero engines.
By the end of the delivery programme, HAL would
enhance the indigenisation content by up to 63 per cent to achieve an average of
over 54 per cent.
This would also help increase the indigenous
content of repair and overhaul tasks of the aero-engines, the ministry noted.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet Committee on
Security, chaired by PM Narendra Modi, approved a proposal for the
procurement of 240 aero engines.
According to the Ministry of Defence, the delivery
of these aero-engines would start after one year and be completed over eight years.
The Su-30 MKI is one of the most powerful and
strategically significant components of the IAF’s fleet. HAL's supply of these aero-engines would meet the fleet sustenance requirement to continue their unhindered operations and strengthen the country's defence preparedness.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh earlier informed
that the ‘GE-414’ engines for the fighter jets will now be made in India.
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