Public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday signed a fresh agreement with US company General Electric (GE) for sourcing 113 F404 engines and a support package for the under-production Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets.

The engines will be delivered between 2027 and 2032, HAL said. Neither HAL nor GE has disclosed the value of the contract, but it is estimated to be around $1 billion (Rs 8,800 crore).

The 113 engines are meant for the 97 Tejas jets for which the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed a Rs 62,370-crore contract with HAL in August. This latest order for 97 jets comes in addition to an earlier order for 83 aircraft, taking the total Tejas Mark-1A order to 180 jets.

HAL, a listed company in which the MoD holds a majority stake, had earlier signed a $716-million deal with

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