Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has received an order from Indian Air Force (IAF) for 83 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) at an estimated cost of ₹41,000 crore, in a deal that is being termed as a major boost to the decades-old indigenous Tejas fighter aircraft programme.

HAL confirmed that it had received the RFP (Request for Proposal) for 83 LCAs from the IAF. The 83 aircraft will be of Mark-1 configuration, an improved version of the single-engine fighter, according to sources.

IAF had earlier placed orders for a total of 40 Tejas aircraft, and the latest order will take the order for the indigenous fighter jets to 123.

The RFP for 83 LCAs comes at a time when the IAF is facing a shortage of fighter squadrons.

India’s indigenous single-engine Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas has been in the works since 1983. HAL has since supplied five of the first 20 LCAs ordered by the IAF, which have been inducted in the IAF, starting July last year. The new order jets would be ready by the middle of next year.

The IAF has also been looking at single-engine foreign fighter aircraft such as the American F-18 and Swedish Gripen aircraft.