Loss of Interest in India's Tejas LCA, UAE Prefers to Buy China's L-15 Hongdu

 

Loss of Interest in India's Tejas LCA, UAE Prefers to Buy China's L-15 Hongdu
L-15 Hongdu /airforce-technology

International Military - The Ministry of Defense of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will sign a contract for the purchase of 12 Fighter Lead In Trainer/Light Combat Aircraft (FLIT/LCA) type "L 15 Hongdu" made in China. In the future, the UAE will increase its ownership to 36 L 15 aircraft.

The L 15 is described by observers as one of the best in its class. First introduced in 2006, the latest variant of the aircraft, the L-15B has the capability to carry up to 4 tons of missiles and bombs, with the cockpit for training pilots converted to a Weapon System Officer (WSO).

As for the export market, this aircraft is known as the L-15, while in China it is known as the JL-10. "We are in the final stages of talks with China. The final contract will be signed by both sides in the near future," said Tareq Al Hosani, chief executive of the Tawazun Economic Council, quoted by Defense Security Asia.

On the other hand, in 2018 the UAE also expressed interest in the Light India Combat Aircraft (LCA). However, no significant progress was made after that. In 2018, Nirmala Sitharaman, then Minister of Defense, and her UAE counterpart Mohamed Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falacy met to discuss the necessary issues.

The Emirati minister also made an official visit to India at the time and toured the facilities of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (Hal) and Bharat Electronics Ltd (Bel). However, in an unexpected move, the UAE Ministry of Defense announced last month that it would soon ink a contract with the China National Aero-Technology Import & Export Corporation (Catic) for the purchase of L-15 Trainers and Light Combat Aircraft.

According to the Eurasian Times, the Hongdu L-15 is a two-seat, twin-engine supersonic platform described by Chinese media as a "star model." On the other hand, Tejas has a trainer variant that can be deployed immediately. The lift (lead-in fighter trainer) variant of the aircraft, according to reports, is based on the Tejas MK-1A.

The UAE recently singled out China's LCA over India's Tejas, which is aggressively marketed on various defense exhibition platforms, including the 2021 Dubai Air Show, where it performs "stunning maneuvers".

In addition, the UAE has now chosen to rely on South Korea's T-50 trainers which are South Korea's Combat Indigsonous fighter and trainer aircraft.

The T-50 is designed to train pilots for current and next generation fighter jets, including the upgraded F-16, F-22, and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.

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