Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) third production line for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) ‘Tejas’ has been inaugurated by Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane. He also handed over the 100th Sukhoi-30 MKI fighter jet overhauled by HAL. HAL has established the third production line in its Nashik Division; the other two are in Bengaluru.
As part of the event, he also visited the LCA Assembly Complex, Su-30 Repair and Overhaul (ROH) Flight Hangar and Final Assembly Hangar.
Aramane said, “The Government has come out with several ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ policies, and that puts HAL in a very important position. HAL will be producing more in the coming years. Build more systems and develop new concepts and platforms for future growth.”
C B Ananthakrishnan, CMD, HAL, said the new production line will enable the company to enhance LCA MK1A production capacity from 16 to 24 aircraft per year. “HAL’s Nashik Division has achieved peak overhaul capacity of 20 Su-30 aircraft per year despite having supply chain issues in current geopolitical situations.”
HAL plans to reduce the dependency on SU-30 MKI’s Russian OEM, the Sukhoi Design Bureau, by indigenising most components required for ROH within the next 3-5 years. Its Nashik division has been handling Su-30 MKI Repair and Overhaul since 2014 and has successfully mastered the aircraft’s repair technologies with support from the IAF, regulatory bodies and private industries.
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