The Argentine Air Force needs 15 combat jets, and India has offered its domestically produced HAL TEJAS MK-1 in order to close the military deal. The TEJAS MK-1 is regarded as one of the most compact light combat aircraft and was created by the state-owned company Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL).

Some people think it’s an opportunity for India to pitch the HAL Prachand light combat helicopter at the negotiating table. The Argentine Air Force urgently needs Light Utility Helicopters (LUH), thus India may choose the light utility helicopter, HAL Dhruv, as part of the discussions. However, it is unclear whether the LCH would be included in the contract.

HAL and the Argentine Air Force signed a maintenance agreement for Argentina’s fleet of Aérospatiale SA315B Lama aircraft in February of this year at the Aero India 2023 show. The fleet was scheduled to retire earlier but has acquired operational extension as a result of the deal.

In order to expand their collaboration in the area of maintenance, repair, and overhaul, HAL and the Argentine aerospace company FAdeA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in June on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show 2023. This MoU was created to meet the requirements after possible sales of platforms built by HAL to Argentina.

The deal’s estimated worth is around INR 8600, or over $1.15 billion at the current 2023 exchange rate, and as a result, it has attracted a lot of media interest without any official confirmation.

If the transaction goes through, Hindustan Aeronautical Limited (HAL) will be able to expand its presence in the global defence industry and solidify its position as a dependable defence maker.

Yesterday (18-July-2023), Rajnath Singh, the Indian Defence Minister, and Jorge Taiana, the Argentinean Minister of Defence, met.