India In Talks To Export Indigenously Developed LCA Tejas To Friendly Countries
India is looking to export the indigenously developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas to cost-conscious Asian countries, using the low maintenance cost and simple design of the aircraft as its unique selling proposition.
In a written reply to Lok Sabha member M I Shanavas on Friday, Raksha Mantri Manohar Parrikar said:
The government proposes to export the LCA Tejas to other countries. In this connection preliminary discussions have been held with a few friendly countries. Presently, HAL has established facilities for manufacturing and delivery of eight LCA per annum. There is a plan to ramp up the production rate from eight to 16 Aircraft per annum progressively by 2019-20.
According to Sputnik International, the Indian Ministry of Defence claims to have received a positive response from a few Asian nations. Countries that are looking at cost effective ways to modernise their fleets of fighter jets have found the aircraft attractive due to its low maintenance cost and simple design.
The aircraft, though designed and developed in India, carries a US-made engine, helmet display and laser pod of Israeli make and Russian-made weapon systems, and it is not known if re-export permissions are required from overseas suppliers of components. The indigenous content of the aircraft currently stands at 59.7 per cent by value and attempts are on to localise the production of some more imported components.
As NDTV had reported in April, Sri Lanka and Egypt have also expressed interest in buying the aircraft. Sri Lanka had recently rejected Pakistan's JF-17 aircraft built with Chinese help, while Egypt had last year signed a contract for 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets. However, state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of Tejas, is focusing on delivering the aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) first.
HAL chairman T Suvarna Raju, talking to the Press Trust of India in April, had said:
While there is an interest which has been shown (by other countries), let us get the product first to our own customer. The confidence that will come to others when our own Air Force flies it will be immense. So at first, we should at least meet the initial requirement of the IAF.
Sources in the Defence Ministry confirmed that enquiries by foreign countries came during the Bahrain air show in January, the first time that Tejas flew outside the country.
Two Tejas fighters had participated in the Bahrain International Airshow in January 2016 and their performance, especially with regard to vertical climbs, tight turns, high-speed runs and slow flying ability, were widely appreciated. Interestingly, soon after the announcement of Tejas' participation in Bahrain, Pakistan had withdrawn its JF-17 aircraft from the show despite having paid the initial installment which ran into a few million US dollars.
Tejas at Bahrain International Airshow 2016: