New Delhi, July 3 -- The Union Defence Ministry, amid escalating tensions with China in eastern Ladakh, on Thursday, July 2, gave its nod to acquire weapons and ammunition worth Rs. 38,900 crore, said a government spokesperson. Adding further, he said that the purchase will include 33 new fighter jets for the Indian Air Force (IAF).

The proposals given a clean chit by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) also include 12 new Sukhoi-30 fighters from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), 21 MiG-29s from Russia, home grown Astra BVR air-to-air missiles, indigenous rocket systems, and the upgrade of 59 MiG-29 jets and locally-developed land-attack cruise missile (LACM) systems with a range of 1,000 km, read a statement by the Defence Ministry...