By Vaibhav Agrawal
India has offered to set up production facilities for manufacturing light combat aircraft (LCA) and helicopters in Egypt as it pursues export opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa region.
A series of high-level engagements have taken place with the nation, and the Egyptian Air Force chief is expected to visit India in a few days, during which expertise in manufacturing, as well as maintenance of aircraft fleet, will be showcased.
Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari visited Egypt in November 2021 and attended Cairo’s Air Power Symposium and Defence Exposition.
Presently, a 57-member Indian Air Force delegation is in Egypt to participate in a tactical leadership programme at the Air Force school in Cairo. The delegation includes three Su30 MKI and two C17 aircraft.
Sources said the Egyptian Air Force requires close to 70 light combat jets, with a focus on local production and technology transfer. The nation currently operates a mixed fleet of US, French and Russian-origin jets and has been keen on setting up aeronautical manufacturing facilities.
Besides the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A that is on offer to the nation, Indian manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is also pitching its range of indigenous choppers like the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
“Be it the fixed-wing requirement or the rotary-wing requirement, India is offering to set up production facilities there jointly. There is a significant demand in that region for such aircraft, and Egypt will be a good base,” sources said.
The Indian LCA is priced at around USD 42 million per unit, a price made possible given economies of scale after the IAF placed an order for 83 fighter jets of the Mk1A variant.
As reported, India has emerged as the frontrunner for a Malaysian requirement of light combat aircraft, with a package deal on the table that would include maintenance and spares for the nation’s Russian-origin Su 30 fighter jets.
The offer to Egypt is the latest in the series of efforts by India, which is vigorously pursuing export deals for its Tejas fighter jet with countries in Southeast Asia, West Asia, and North Africa. The Indian LCA is priced at around USD 42 million per unit, a price made possible given economies of scale after the IAF placed an order for 83 fighter jets of the Mk1A variant.
India has offered a package deal on the table that would include maintenance and spares for the RMAF’s Russian-origin Su-30 fighter jets.
The LCA Tejas is a fly-by-wire (FBW) fighter with its Mark-1A variant having in-flight refuelling (IFR) capability that enables long-range missions. LCA Tejas is a fourth-generation fighter with supersonic speed, a 50,000-foot service ceiling, a glass cockpit, and a satellite-assisted inertial navigation system.
It has a wingspan of 8.20 meters, a length of 13.20 meters, and a height of 4.40 meters. The fighter jet can carry air-to-ground bombs and attack systems that can be used to strike targets on land or at sea.
It measures 13.20 metres in length, 4.40 metres in height, and 8.20 metres in its wingspan. The fighter jet can carry air-to-ground bombs and attack systems that can be used to attack targets on land or at sea.