Procurement of Indigenous Tejas Fighter Aircraft | 19 Mar 2020
Why in News
Recently, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has approved procurement of 83 of the more advanced Mk1A version of the Tejas aircraft.
Key Points
- The procurement will be a major boost to 'Make in India' as the aircraft is indigenously designed, developed and manufactured.
- The DAC has also approved an amendment to the Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2016.
- This will bring about more transparency in costs and compress the timelines for negotiation of the contract.
Tejas
- Tejas is a Light Combat Aircraft.
- It is indigenously-designed by Aircraft Development Agency (ADA) under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
Defence Acquisition Council
- DAC is the highest decision-making body in the Defence Ministry for deciding on new policies and capital acquisitions for the three services (Army, Navy and Air Force) and the Indian Coast Guard.
- The Minister of Defence is the Chairman of the Council.
- It was formed, after the Group of Ministers recommendations on 'Reforming the National Security System', in 2001, post Kargil War (1999).