By Admin 
Defense ministry buy light combat helicopters: The Ministry of Defense has signed two contracts of Rs 62,700 crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to buy 156 light fighter helicopters (LCH). The first contract is to supply 66 light combat helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the second is to supply 90 light combat helicopters to the Indian Army.
The supply of these helicopters will start from the third year of the contract and will be completed in the next five years. LCH is India’s first indigenously designed and developed fighter helicopter, which has a capacity to operate at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.
Most of the helicopter items are made in India
Most of the items of this helicopter have been designed and manufactured in India and with the process of procurement, the helicopter plans to achieve more than 65 percent total indigenous material. It will include over 250 domestic companies, most of which will be MSMEs and will create more than 8,500 direct and indirect employment.
Meanwhile, the ministry also signed a contract with metria management for the weight leasing of a flight refueling aircraft (FRA) to provide training to the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy pilots to provide training to air to air. The metrone will provide FRA (KC 135 aircraft) within six months, which will be the first FRA to be taken on weight lease by the Indian Air Force.
Total contracts reached 193
With signing on these three contracts, the total number of total contracts signed by the Ministry of Defense during 2024-25 has reached 193, with a total contract price of more than Rs 2,09,050 crore, which is the highest and almost double the highest figure so far. Of these, 92 percent are contracts given to domestic industry, whose contract price is Rs 1,68,922 crore (81 percent).
On Thursday, the Ministry of Defense signed a contract with the public sector Armard Vehicle Corporation Limited for the purchase of the trekted version anti -tank arms platform of the Nag Missile System (NAMIS) and made a deal for approximately 5,000 light vehicles for the armed forces with the force Motors Limited and Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, which is a total cost of about 2,500 million rupees.
Strategy to promote self -sufficiency
These contracts are part of the government’s strategy to promote self-sufficiency in defense production under ‘indigenously designed, developed and manufactured’ categories.
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