Bengaluru: India’s indigenous aerospace and defence push will get another boost on September 18, with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) set to hand over key platforms to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Pawan Hans Limited.
The IAF will receive LCA Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) twin-seater trainer aircraft and HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft. HAL will also deliver Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited.
The handover ceremony will take place in Bengaluru in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh.
Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, HAL CMD Ravi K and other senior officials are also expected to attend the event.
Major push for indigenous aerospace capability
The Ministry of Defence described the development as an important milestone in India’s drive towards self-reliance in the aerospace and defence sectors.
The ministry said the induction of these platforms reflects the growing ability of Indian companies and their industry partners to design, develop and manufacture advanced systems for both military and civilian applications.
The government has placed strong emphasis on indigenous design, development and manufacturing to strengthen domestic capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign sources.
Tejas Mk-1A programme gains momentum
The development comes as India continues to expand its Tejas fleet. The IAF currently operates around two squadrons of LCA Tejas and is expected to receive around 180 Tejas Mk-1A aircraft in total.
HAL also received three additional GE F404-IN20 engines earlier this month for the Tejas Mk-1A programme. The latest delivery took the total number of engines supplied to HAL for the fleet to 10.
The F404-IN20 is a variant of GE Aerospace’s F404 engine specifically adapted for India’s single-engine Tejas fighter. According to GE Aerospace, the Indian variant features the highest thrust within the F404 engine family.
The engine incorporates a higher-flow fan, single-crystal turbine blades and other specialised components designed to meet the requirements of the Tejas aircraft and the Indian Air Force.
