New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence has signed a contract with an Indian firm to upgrade the simulators of the Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force.

"Led by MSME, this upgrade will incorporate all indigenous weapons and capabilities, enhancing operational training for IAF pilots," an official statement said.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jets are the backbone of the Indian Air Force's fighter fleet and over 270 of them have been inducted in to the force.

The simulators will help in further improving the training of pilots.

Earlier, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) signed five major capital acquisition contracts worth ₹39,125.39 crore on Friday in Delhi.

The contracts were exchanged in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane.

Out of the five contracts, one was with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of Aero-engines for MiG-29 aircraft, second with Larsen an Toubro Limited for procurement of Close-in Weapon System (CIWS) and procurement of High-Power Radar (HPR) and two with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) for procurement of BrahMos missiles and procurement of Ship borne BrahMos system for the Indian Defence Forces.

These deals will further strengthen indigenous capabilities, save foreign exchange and reduce dependency on foreign-origin equipment manufacturers in the future.

The contract for RD-33 Aero Engines for MiG-29 aircraft has been signed with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) at a cost of ₹5,249.72 crore. These Aero Engines will be produced by the Koraput Division of HAL.

The contract for procurement of CIWS has been signed with Larsen and Toubro Limited at a cost of ₹7,668.82 crore.

The contract for procurement of HPR has also been signed with Larsen and Toubro Limited at a cost of ₹5,700.13 crore. It will replace existing long-range radars of lAF with modern Active Aperture Phased Array based HPR with advanced surveillance features.

The contract for procurement of BrahMos missiles has been signed with BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited (BAPL) at a cost of ₹19,518.65 crore.

These missiles would be utilized to meet combat outfit and training requirements of the Indian Navy.

This project is likely to generate employment for nine lakh man-days in Joint Venture entity and around 135 lakh man-days in ancillary industries (including MSMEs) in the country.