In a major move to boost the defence system, India’s plans to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets is moving ahead as per the plan with Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh stating that the project is likely to be completed by the end of this financial year and the Indian side is looking for a higher level of indigenisation and integration of Indian weapons in it.
While speaking to news agency, the Defence Secretary said: “They had agreed to integrate Indian weapons even in the already contracted Rafale Marines that we had bought. In this case, of course, we are going one step ahead, in the sense that it's a buy-and-make programme, with the bulk of the aircraft to be assembled in India, with significant levels of indigenisation and integration of Indian systems and weapons.”
‘Bids submitted under request for proposal undergoing assessment’
Moreover, the Defence Secretary also confirmed that the bids submitted under the request for proposal (RFP) stage are undergoing formal assessment and added that they have given their bids, and these are being evaluated.
He said after that the Indian side will start taking it up and should be able to reach some conclusion in that procurement cycle before the end of this year.
In this regard, the Ministry of Defence said it is maintaining strict timelines for domestic aviation programs. The Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk2 project is moving toward initial flight trials next year under a public-private partnership framework.
Rajesh Singh says LCA Mk2 is still on and first flight scheduled for middle of next year
Defence Secretary further added that as of now, the LCA Mk2 is still on, with the first flight scheduled for the middle of next year and let the prototypes come and let the Air Force evaluate them, and thereafter, we will see. “I think initially that the requirement that they had projected was for 120 Mk2 aircraft. But let them deliver the prototypes, let them be evaluated, and we'll see thereafter...,” he said.
He said that for LCA, or for Tejas Mk2, LCA Mk2, we should follow a process of spiral development, upgrade it, and develop it within the existing public-sector ecosystem, HAL, which, incidentally, is increasingly using a lot of private-sector support to make not only the sub-assemblies but also some of the larger components, including fuselages.
He also added that they have brought in a private-sector production line for some of these things as well. It will be public-sector-led, in all probability, but significant involvement of the Indian private industry and the MSME sector is, in any case, built into this programme as well.
Singh also stressed on AMCA and said it has reached a stage where Requests for Proposals (RFP) have been invited from the shortlisted vendors.
‘We haven’t decided on fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme’
He said, "As of now, we haven't gone, or we haven't taken a decision, to go in for any global or outside fifth-generation fighter aircraft programme. Our programme is AMCA, and AMCA has reached a stage where Requests for Proposals (RFP) have been invited from the shortlisted vendors. They've sought more time because of the complexity and the fact that they are also getting into this space for the first time. We are going to give them some more time. But my understanding is that this is our programme, and we are putting all our eggs in this basket as of now."