India Plans To Manufacture 1000 Helicopters, 100 Planes In The Next Decade

India’s Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has finalized a plan to manufacture nearly 1000 military helicopters and over 100 planes.

"We are going to build around 1,000 helicopters including Kamov 226, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) in the next 10 years," HAL Chairman and Managing Director T Suvarna Raju told PTI in an interview. 

The HAL and Russian defence firms have finalised a Joint Venture agreement for production of light weight multi-role 'Kamov 226T' helicopters in India which will replace the aging fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers. 

The inter-government agreement for the deal was signed during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Russia in December, 2015. 

Calling Sukhoi upgrade a major programme, he said the fleet will be equipped with missiles, avionics and sensors. Both India and Russia have been in negotiation for upgrade of the Su-30MKI to a near fifth-generation level. 

Earlier this month, India and Russia signed two key agreements for long-term maintenance and technical support for the Su-30MKI fleet.