New Delhi [India], April 6 (ANI): Having secured the mega 156 Light Combat Helicopter deal for the Indian Army and Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is looking to outsource work worth around Rs 25,000 crore to the private sector firms.

The Cabinet Committee on Security on Friday cleared the mega Rs 62,500 crore deal, and the contract between the Defence Ministry and the HAL was signed on the same day.

'We are going to follow the Light Combat Aircraft manufacturing model in this programme as well. The HAL would soon be issuing tenders for involving the private sector in a big way in the Light Combat helicopter (LCh) project,' defence officials told ANI.

In the LCA project also, different sections of the aircraft like fuselage, wings etc have been given to different private sector companies like Larsen and Toubro and Vem Technologies, they said.

Around 40 per cent of the work share in the Rs 62,500 crore project is planned to be outsourced to the private industry. This is also going to help in further expanding the defence industrial ecosystem in the country at all levels, the officials said

The HAL would be making the choppers in its Bengaluru and Tumkur facilities in the state of Karnataka.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was present on the occasion of the delivery of the first rear fuselage for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A, produced by the private Indian industry, Alpha Tocol Engineering Services Private Limited.

The HAL is now further going to increase its engagement with the private sector to promote self-reliance and reduce foreign dependence in all its projects.

The HAL is the largest aerospace firm in the country and has an order book of over Rs 2 lakh core and is expecting orders of over Rs 70,000 crore in the near future.

The Rs 2 lakh core order book includes the contracts for supplying 12 Su-30 fighter jets along with the 83 LCA jets of which 10 would be trainer aircraft. (ANI)