China News Service, June 1. According to India's "Businessworld" (Businessworld) reported on May 30, the Indian Air Force (IAF) plans to halve its overseas procurement plan for its largest fighter procurement program, the Multi-role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA), Reduced from 114 to 57.
According to reports, sources said that all 57 fighter jets will be built in India, with technology transferred from a foreign equipment manufacturer to an Indian company.
The cuts are in response to the Indian government’s “Aatmanirbhar Bharat” policy of reducing defense imports and building a domestic defense industrial complex to meet military needs, the report said.
It is reported that the tender period for the purchase of 57 aircraft is at the end of 2022.
The Indian government's overseas procurement program for multi-role fighter jets, launched in 2018, plans to buy 114 aircraft with a total value of $20 billion.