Defence Ministry signs Rs 62,700 crore contract with HAL for 156 Light Combat Helicopters
The Ministry of Defense has signed two contracts worth Rs 62,700 crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to purchase 156 light combat helicopters (LCH). The first contract is for the supply of 66 Light Combat Helicopters to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the second is for the supply of 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 combat helicopter, which has the ability to operate at an altitude of more than 5,000 meters.
Most of the parts of this helicopter have been designed and manufactured in India and with this procurement process, the helicopter plans to achieve a total indigenous content of more than 65 percent. It will involve more than 250 domestic companies, most of which will be MSMEs and will create more than 8,500 direct and indirect jobs.
Meanwhile, the ministry also signed a contract with Metria Management for wet leasing of a Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA) to provide air-to-air refuelling training to pilots of the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy. Metria will deliver the FRA (KC135 aircraft) within six months, which will be the first FRA to be wet leased by the Indian Air Force.
With the signing of these three contracts, the total number of contracts signed by the Ministry of Defence during 2024-25 has reached 193, with a total contract value of over Rs 2,09,050 crore, the highest ever and almost double the previous highest figure. Of these, 92 per cent are contracts awarded to the domestic industry, with a contract value of Rs 1,68,922 crore (81 per cent).
On Thursday, the Defence Ministry signed a contract with state-run Armoured Vehicles Corporation Ltd for the procurement of the tracked version of the Nag Missile System (NAMIS) anti-tank weapon platform and another deal with Force Motors Ltd and Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd for around 5,000 light vehicles for the armed forces, with a total cost of around Rs 2,500 crore.
These contracts under the 'Buy - Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured' category are part of the government's strategy to promote self-reliance in defence production.
