New Delhi: A big step is being taken towards strengthening the Indian Air Force. The plan to purchase 114 Rafale fighter planes is progressing completely as per the scheduled timeline. According to Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh, the entire project is expected to be completed by the end of this financial year, and the Indian side is placing special emphasis on greater integration and use of indigenous weapons.
Speaking to ANI, the Defense Secretary said that it has already been agreed to include Indian weapons in the already contracted Rafale Marine aircraft. He said India is going a step further in this matter, as it is a buy-and-build programme, under which most of the aircraft will be assembled in India, and will involve large-scale indigenization and integration of Indian systems and weapons.
Evaluation of bids is ongoing
The Defense Secretary also confirmed that formal evaluation of bids received under the Request for Proposal (RFP) phase is currently underway, and all required bids have already been submitted. He said that after this the Indian side will start taking this entire matter forward and will try its best to reach a conclusion regarding the procurement process before the end of this year. According to the Defense Ministry, it is strictly following the timelines set for domestic aviation programs.
LCA Mk2 will have its first flight next year
The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2 project, being run under a public-private partnership, is also moving towards its initial flight tests next year. According to Rajesh Singh, work on this project is continuing, and its first flight is likely to take place in the middle of next year. He said that first let the prototype be ready, after which the Air Force will fully evaluate it, and only then the further situation will be clear. He also said that initially the requirement of around 120 Mk2 aircraft was estimated, but the final decision on this would be taken only after the prototype and its evaluation.
The Defense Secretary said that the spiral development process should be adopted for Tejas Mk2 i.e. LCA Mk2, in which it should be continuously upgraded and developed within the public sector company HAL. He also said that HAL is now increasingly taking private sector support to manufacture not only small sub-assemblies but also large parts like aircraft fuselage. He also added that private sector production lines have also been started for some of these works. Although this entire program will proceed mainly under the leadership of the public sector, there will also be important participation of Indian private industry and small-medium enterprises i.e. MSME sector.
No decision has been taken yet on fifth generation fighter jet
While talking about the AMCA project, the Defense Secretary also said that it has now reached the stage where Request for Proposal (RFP) has been invited from the selected vendors. He clarified that India has not yet taken any decision to join any global or external fifth generation fighter aircraft program. According to him, India has its own program AMCA, and currently the entire focus is being focused on this project. He also said that since the vendors are also entering this area for the first time, they have asked for some more time considering the complexity, which will be given.