Indian Air Force to get 83 new fighter jets, 200 combat helicopters
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NEW DELHI - Indian Defence Minister Sitharaman has revealed that Indian Air Force will receive 83 Tejas fighter jets from HAL.
She said that she has received confirmation from HAL that contracts amounting to more than Rs 26,570.80 crore have been signed between 2014-18.
As per the details she provided, the procurement order specifically mentions 83 Tejas aircraft worth Rs 50,000 crore, 15 combat helicopters worth Rs 3,000 crore, 200 helicopters worth Rs 20,000 crore, 19 Dornier transport aircraft worth Rs 3,400 crore, other helicopters worth Rs 15,000 crore, and aero engine worth Rs 8,400 crore. Orders worth Rs 73,000 crore are in the pipeline and all of them put together amount to Rs 1 lakh crore, she said.
"The above documents clearly confirm correctness of my statement made on the floor of the House and the doubts raised in this regard are incorrect and misleading," she said.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge quoted HAL CMD R Madhavan from a report to support his party's contention that the company was struggling financially and demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the matter.
He claimed Sitharaman had sought to correct her statement and said wrong facts should not be put before the House. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal questioned if Kharge would authenticate the report he was quoting, while some other BJP leaders took a jibe at the party while referring to a defence dealer, who is wanted in criminal cases.
