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The Indian Air Force is in the process of finalising a Rs 1.15 lakh crore deal to procure an additional batch of 97 Tejas Mark-1A aircraft besides upgrading 84 Sukhoi-30MKI jets at a cost of Rs 60,000 crore, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari said on Tuesday. In February 2021, the defence ministry sealed a Rs 48,000-crore deal with state-run aerospace major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for the procurement of 83 Tejas MK-1A jets for the IAF. With the additional 97 Tejas Mark-1A jets, the total number of indigenously-developed aircraft being procured by the IAF would go up to 180. Addressing a press conference ahead of the Air Force Day on October 8, the Chief of Air Staff also said that 84 Sukhoi-30MKI fighter jets will be upgraded at a cost of a little over Rs 60,000 crore. The defence ministry is also looking at signing a contract with the HAL next year to procure a total of 156 light combat helicopters (LCH) out of which 66 will be for the IAF. The IAF now operates 1