HAL to hand over Tejas, HTT-40 Aircraft and Dhruv-NG helicopters in Bengaluru

LEH: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over LCA Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) twin-seater trainer aircraft and HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, along with Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited, in Bengaluru on Friday.

The handover ceremony will be held in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu. The event is expected to showcase the expanding role of HAL and its industry partners in India’s domestic aerospace manufacturing ecosystem.

The platforms being handed over cover both military and civil aviation requirements, reflecting HAL’s capabilities in the design, development and manufacture of indigenous aerospace platforms.

Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh, Defence Production Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ravi K are scheduled to attend the ceremony.

Senior officials from the Defence Ministry, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Indian Air Force and Pawan Hans, along with representatives of regulatory agencies and the aerospace and defence industry, will also be present.

The government has placed emphasis on indigenous design, development and manufacturing in the aerospace and defence sectors, with the induction of domestically produced platforms being positioned as part of efforts to strengthen indigenous capabilities and reduce dependence on foreign sources.

The handover comes as HAL and its industry partners expand their involvement across military and civil aviation programmes, with the Tejas and HTT-40 forming part of India’s indigenous aircraft development effort and Dhruv NG being developed for civil and other applications.