Problem of Plenty

Atul Chandra

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is leading the government’s charge for Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in the aerospace and defence sector. The state-owned airframer is now contracted to deliver indigenous fighter jets, trainers and helicopters to the Indian armed forces. It is a far cry from the days when HAL was considered a ‘problem child’ to now being a vital cog in the modernisation of the Indian armed forces.

LCA Tejas is one of HAL’s successful programme with orders in hand for 123 aircraft and an AON for 97 more

Few would quibble with the fact that HAL will play a key role in the modernisation of the armed forces but some may question if enough has been done to transform the state-owned enterprise into a more efficient and competitive aerospace firm capable of competing with the best in the world. This is certainly the best time for the airframer to shake off the vestiges of the past, as it has a strong orderbook in excess of INR 81,000 crore (as on 31 March 2023).

Delivering Tejas

In February 2021, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) awarded a contract worth nearly INR 48,000 crore for 83 Tejas Mk-1A fighter jets. The order for 73 Tejas Mk-1As and 10 LCA Tejas Mk-1 trainers is worth INR 45,696 crores along with INR 1,202 crores allocated for design and development and infrastructure sanctions. In November 2023, the MoD accorded its approval for the acceptance of necessity (AoN) for procurement of 97 additional Tejas Mk-1As.

At the time of the February 2021 contract, it was announced that deliveries of all 83 aircraft would be completed by February 2029. HAL has a total of three production lines for the Tejas Mk-1A, two in Bengaluru and one in Nashik. Deliveries of the first three Tejas Mk-1As (one fighter and two trainers) are to take place by March this year with a production rate of 16 aircraft planned annually from 2025-2029.

But the fact of the matter is that in FY2022-23, HAL produced only 22 new aircraft and helicopters, covering LCA Tejas, Dornier Do-228, ALH Dhruv, Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH).

This will be a real challenge for HAL, as the Tejas Mk-1A is far removed from the fighter aircraft it has built under license such as the SU-30 MKI, Jaguar, Hawk, etc. Unlike these aircraft, the Tejas Mk-1A features heavy use of composites, is fitted with sophisticated avionics and sensors, and has an in-flight refuelling system. The in-service reputation of the Tejas Mk-1A will stem from the quality of aircraft produced by HAL at its fact