HAL Plans on Setting up Bases in Four Asian Countries

HAL chairman and MD said that Tejas fighter had a “very good” export potential

State-run aerospace company, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is looking at setting up logistics bases in Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and Sri Lanka with the intention of wooing the countries to buy India’s light combat aircraft Tejas and military helicopters.

Chairman and Managing Director of HAL R Madhavan said that HAL was considering building logistics bases in the four countries as they used a number of Russian-origin military aircraft and helicopters whose serviceability is “very poor”.

According to him, HAL was now seriously focusing on boosting exports in sync with the government’s priority and identified South East Asia, West Asia and North Africa to sell key platforms like Tejas, attack helicopter Rudra and advanced light helicopter Dhruv.

Madhavan also added that a number of countries in West Asia are also in touch with the HAL for possible procurement of its key products. Setting up of maintenance facilities in these four countries as having logistics bases is key to sell the products and ensure after-sales services.

“We now are looking at exports very seriously. A sizeable number of countries are showing lots of interests in the platforms we are producing as they are world class. We are in talks with so many countries,” he said.