Cash-Strapped HAL May Get Order Worth Rs 3,000 Crore From Indian Air Force
According to a report, the IAF is planning to acquire eight new Su-30MKI combat planes and may place the order at the HAL.
New Delhi, January 19: Cash-strapped state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is likely to get a fresh order worth over Rs 3,000 crore from the Indian Air Force (IAF). According to a report, the IAF is planning to acquire eight new Su-30MKI combat planes and may place the order at the HAL. “The plan is to acquire eight new Su-30MKI combat planes,” top Indian Air Force sources told news agency ANI.
"We have lost a few aircraft in accidents over a period of time and to make up for the losses, we are looking to place orders for eight new Su-30MKI combat aircraft," the sources said. They also dismissed media reports suggesting that the IAF was looking to acquire 40 new Su-30MKI planes. Reports suggested that the HAL had made an offer of selling 40 Su-30MKI planes to the force with latest upgrades. Rafale Deal Row: Rahul Gandhi, Nirmala Sitharaman Lock Horns on HAL Contracts.
The Air Force has been sanctioned 42 squadrons of fighter planes by the government but due to the phase-out and number-plating of squadrons of older planes, it is now left with only 31 squadrons. The Air Force is now looking at the induction of two squadrons of Rafale planes along with a plan for acquiring 114 multirole fighter planes to meet the shortfall.
A total of 272 Su-30MKI planes have been ordered from Russia in different batches by the Air Force to tackle the fall in the number of squadrons of the fighter planes. The Su-30MKI was inducted by the Air Force to fill the gap created by the retiring MiG-21s, MiG27s, MiG-23s and the other older generation planes such as the MiG-29s and the Jaguars and is not in the four-plus generation planes like the Rafale fighter jets.
A political controversy erupted after Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman told Lok Sabah last month that orders worth Rs 1 lakh crore including Rs 50,000 crore order for procuring 83 Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and 15 combat helicopters worth Rs 3,000 are to be given to the HAL. However, TOI reported that acceptance of necessity and clearance by Defence Acquisition Council was completed for some orders, no actual order had been placed.
Following the report, Congress president Rahul Gandhi accused Sitharaman of lying to the Parliament. However, the defence minister later clarified that HAL has signed contracts worth Rs 26570.8 crore between 2014 and 2018. Sitharaman further added that contracts worth Rs 73000 crore are in the pipeline.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2019 07:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).