The US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are also among the countries showing interest in Tejas aircraft.
Bengaluru: Argentina and Egypt have joined a number of other countries in showing interest in procuring the indigenously-developed Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas from India, an NDTV report says.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) chairman CB Ananthakrishnan said on the sidelines of Aero India-2023 on Tuesday, Feb 14 that India is in talks with both Argentina and Egypt for possible supply of Tejas aircraft.
He said Egypt has a requirement for 20 aircraft while Argentina was keen in procuring 15 fighter jets.
The US, Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are also among the countries showing interest in Tejas aircraft.
Tejas, manufactured by the HAL, is a single-engine multi-role fighter aircraft capable of operating in high-threat air environment.
In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a ₹ 48,000-crore deal with HAL for the procurement of 83 Tejas light combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.
Ananthakrishnan said Egypt was also keen to have an MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility and that India would like to support the country. “Two teams from the Argentine Air Force have visited HAL and flown the LCA,” he said.
Malaysia had shown interest in procuring at least 18 Tejas fighter jets to replace its ageing fleet of Russian MiG-29 planes.
In October 2021, the HAL responded to a Request For Proposal (RFP) issued by Malaysia. However, Ananthakrishnan South Korea’s FA-50 is now known to have an edge to get the order.
In July last year, the IAF participated in a month-long tactical leadership programme in Egypt with three Su-30 MKI jets and two C-17 transport aircraft.
In September, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh paid a three-day visit to Egypt. India is keen to expand ties with Egypt, a key player in the politics of both the Arab world as well as Africa.
It is also seen as a major gateway to markets in Africa and Europe.
On LAC Mark II aircraft, Ananthakrishnan said the HAL hopes to roll out the upgraded version of the aircraft in December 2024.
Last year, the government accorded its approval to developing the LCA Mk-2 which will have an array of advanced features.
On Sunday, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane said the government is fully supporting the projects relating to Tejas Mark II and the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).
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