India confirmed on Friday that Argentina is seriously considering purchasing Indian-built Tejas fighter jets for its air force.
During his two-day official visit to Argentina, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar held discussions about Tejas.
EAM Jaishankar met with the foreign minister of Argentina, Santiago Cafiero, and discussed the two countries’ continuous collaboration in the vital areas of defence, nuclear energy, and space.
There was a JCM between the two countries, and it was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Cafiero and Foreign Minister Jaishankar. A meeting with Argentine President Dr. Alberto Fernandez was also part of Jaishankar’s trip there.
“India and Argentina discussed their ongoing collaboration in the strategic sectors of Defense, Nuclear Energy, and Space and reiterated their resolve to work together for mutual benefit,” the Joint statement read.
In 2019, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to increase their collaboration in the field of defence.
The parties discussed taking their cooperation to a new level by signing more memorandums of understanding and agreements.
The statement went on to say that “EAM, noting Argentine interest in the Made in India TEJAS fighter aircrafts for Argentine Air Force,” emphasised the significance of the proposal in improving the “strategic component” of bilateral ties.
Each nation will encourage the other to send military personnel to their country and vice versa, as well as collaborate on defence training and cooperative manufacturing of defence equipment.
Several countries, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, have expressed an interest in purchasing the Made in India jet, prompting the current discussions on fighter aircraft. India’s homegrown military planes have gained the attention of various countries thanks to their impressive performance, agility, and controllability.
In addition to the indigenous Astra air-to-air missiles, the Indian Air Force has recently outfitted the Tejas with the French-origin Hammer air-to-ground stand-off missile.
The Indian military has made significant use of the financial authority assigned to it by the government at various points in time in order to acquire the armaments essential to deal with any conflict or aggression from opponents on both sides.
The Indian Air Force is committed to the development of the LCA Tejas, an indigenous fighter aircraft, and has been actively enhancing the plane’s capabilities.
The IAF has signed a contract for the 83 Mark1As that will be delivered within the next couple of years, and they have already put two squadrons into service with the initial operating clearance and final operational clearance variants.
The LCA Mark 2 and the AMCA are also targets for the IAF, with the latter being developed by the DRDO.
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