India signs $7b deal for 97 fighter jets made domestically

Tejas jets entered the IAF in 2016; new order is for 4th generation jets

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India yesterday signed a $7 billion order for 97 domestically designed and built Tejas fighter jets as its air force retires its outgoing Russian MiG-21 jets after decades of use.

The first Tejas jets — meaning “brilliance” in Hindi — were commissioned into the airforce in 2016, with the latest commission for the fourth-generation version of the fighter, Mk-1A.

India, one of the world’s largest arms importers, has made modernisation of its forces a top priority, and made repeated pushes to boost local arms production.

Contract with HAL