Two airfields would soon be built at Sulur airport
IAF to get 126 new fighter aircrafts
Thiruvananthapuram, March 12: The Chief of Air Staff, S. P. Tyagi, today announced that the Indian Air Force would acquire 126 new fighter aircraft. The IAF also plans to acquire 40 additional Sukhoi-30 this year to augment its fleet.The IAF chief informed that negotiations were under way for the purchase of fighter aircrafts. The best bidder would get the contract, he told reporters.
The Air Force would get three AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft by the end of the year. AWACS was a multi-national product of Uzbekistan, Russia and Israel. The IAF would directly purchase 24 out of the 66 'Hawks' (Advanced Jet Trainers) required by the Force from United Kingdom by the middle of this year. The remaining Hawks would be produced at HAL.
Eighty new helicopters from Russia would also be acquired this year, Tyagi added. Two airfields would soon be built at Sulur near Coimbatore and Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu. The Sulur airfield would a base for Light Combat Aircraft, he said. The role of armed forces in ensuring national security had increased, Tyagi said."No society in the world has grown economically without a strong armed force and India needs a stronger force," he added.
Armed forces were now needed to protect India's interests across the boundaries and the coastline. "Our international commitments are increasing and the Forces are being asked to play an international diplomatic role," he said.
