
New Delhi [India], July 17 (ANI): Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday received the first set of wing assemblies for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A from Larsen & Toubro (L&T), marking another milestone in India’s indigenous defence manufacturing program, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The assemblies, manufactured by L&T’s Precision Manufacturing and Systems Complex unit in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, were formally handed over to HAL’s General Manager (LCA Tejas Division), M Abdul Salam. Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar attended the event virtually and lauded the collaboration between the two companies.
In his remarks, Kumar praised HAL and L&T for their efforts towards achieving self-reliance in defence manufacturing. He highlighted HAL’s leadership in forging partnerships with private-sector firms to enhance domestic capability and expressed confidence in meeting production targets for the LCA Tejas.
He also called for further expansion of capabilities and reducing India’s dependence on foreign suppliers.
HAL Chairman and Managing Director DK Sunil described the milestone as a testament to years of dedicated collaboration between HAL and L&T. “HAL is working with suppliers, both large and SMEs, as part of its initiative to achieve Aatmanirbharta in the aerospace and defence sector. HAL has effectively built a parallel aircraft structural assembly line in the private sector, which will help augment capacity for the LCA Tejas programme,” he said.
Arun Ramchandani, Senior Vice President and Head of L&T Precision Engineering and Systems, said the company plans to initially supply four wing sets annually, with production capacity to scale up to 12 sets per year through advanced assembly processes and automation.
So far, HAL’s LCA Tejas Division has sourced several key structural modules from private-sector partners: Air Intake Assemblies from Lakshmi Machine Works, Rear Fuselage from Alpha Tocol, Loom Assemblies from Amphenol, Fin and Rudder Assemblies from Tata Advanced Systems, Centre Fuselage from VEM Technologies, and now Wing Assemblies from L&T.
The LCA Tejas Mk1A is a crucial part of India’s indigenous fighter jet program, aimed at strengthening the Indian Air Force with domestically designed and manufactured aircraft. (ANI)