NEW DELHI: The Defence Ministry on Monday signed a Rs 26,000 crore contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for 240 AL-31FP aero engines for Sukhoi (Su)-30MKI aircraft. Thecontract was inked by the senior officials of MoD and HAL in the presence of Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari in New Delhi.The Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the procurement of these engines on September 2. The supply of all 240 engines would be completed over the period of next eight years. The Su-30 MKI is one of the Indian Air Force’s most powerful and strategically significant fleets. Of the total 272 contracted, the IAF currently operates 259 Su-30 MKI fighters, which are manufactured by HAL under a license extended by Russia.According to the MoD, the supply of these aero engines by HAL will meet the IAF’s fleet sustenance requirements, ensuring uninterrupted operations of the Su-30MKI fleet and bolstering the country’s defence preparedness.These aeroengines will be manufactured by the Koraput Division of HAL and are expected to fulfil the need of the Indian Air Force to sustain the operational capability of the Su-30 fleet for the defence preparedness of the country. HAL would supply 30 aero-engines per annum as per the contractual delivery schedule.During the manufacturing, HAL plans to take support from the country’s defence manufacturing ecosystem, involving MSMEs and public & private industries. By the end of the delivery programme, HAL would enhance the indigenisation content up to 63% to achieve an average of over 54%.This would also help increase the indigenous content of Repair and Overhaul tasks of the aero-engines.“Significant milestone in our Make in India campaign”. “It will strengthen the aero-engine manufacturing in India and add momentum to our aim of Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance),” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on ‘X’.On August 13, India successfully carried out the maiden flight test of long range glide bomb (LRGB) Gaurav from a Sukhoi-30 MK-I aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). The test was conducted off the Odisha coast. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Gaurav is an air launched 1,000 kg class glide bomb capable of hitting targets at long distance.“During the flight test, the glide bomb hit the target erected at Long Wheeler’s island with pinpoint accuracy. Complete flight data during the test launch has been captured by telemetry and electro optical tracking systems deployed by the integrated test range (ITR) along the coastline,” said a defence statement.
Source link
