India's Defense Ministry approved the purchase of 12 Russian Su-30 MKI aircrafts on Friday, which will be manufactured in the country by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The move comes as part of Delhi's self-reliant India policy.
The decision was taken during the meeting of the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC) under the chairmanship of Defense Minister Rajnath Singh.
According to media reports quoting defense officials, the project - worth INR 110 billion ($1.3 billion) - will include the aircraft and related ground systems.
The officials further stated that the aircraft will include more than 60 percent locally-built parts as per the requirements and these will be the most modern Su-30 MKI aircraft of the military, equipped with multiple weapons and sensors.
Apart from procuring HAL-manufactured Su-30 MKI aircraft, the DAC also agreed to eight other acquisition proposals.
The Defense Ministry said that all the purchases will be made from Indian vendors.
The other approvals included next-generation survey vessels for the Indian Navy that will greatly enhance its capabilities in performing hydrographic operations.
Likewise, upgrades for Dornier aircraft were agreed to improve the accuracy and reliability of operations along with Dhruvastra short-range air-to-surface missiles for ALH Mk-IV helicopters.
Alongside this, the DAC will also purchase light armored multipurpose vehicles (LAMV) and integrated surveillance and targeting systems (ISAT-S) in order to enhance the protection, mobility, attack capability and survivability of mechanized forces.
The DAC also cleared the purchase of high mobility vehicles (HMV) for swift mobilization and deployment of artillery guns and radars.