In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Chairman and Managing Director Ravi K said the state-owned aerospace company has the technical expertise, infrastructure and manpower required to manufacture Russia’s fifth-generation Sukhoi-57 fighter aircraft in India.
Ravi said HAL’s previous experience in producing the Russian-origin Sukhoi-30MKI provides a strong foundation for taking up local production of the Sukhoi-57, provided the required technology transfer takes place.
“Yes. In the past, we have made the Sukhoi-30MKI here in HAL. Most of the required facilities and technical manpower are available in India,” Ravi told The Tribune.
His comments come amid discussions between India and Russia over the Sukhoi-57. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the fighter aircraft during their meeting in New Delhi on the sidelines of the BRICS Leaders’ Summit last week.
According to Ravi, a Russian team has already assessed HAL’s existing facilities. Nearly 40 per cent of the infrastructure required for Sukhoi-57 production is already available from the company’s Sukhoi-30MKI manufacturing capabilities, while some additional investments would be needed.
Ravi also provided an update on India’s indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighter programme, saying the aircraft was in the final stages of missile and radar integration. He said the remaining integration tests were being carried out and the aircraft could be ready for delivery to the Indian Air Force within the next couple of months.
“Hopefully, maybe in another couple of months, we will be able to resolve this. We are yet to achieve the last five per cent of the specifications needed by the IAF,” Ravi said in the exclusive interview.
HAL currently has 27 Tejas Mark-1A airframes ready, while 10 engines supplied by US-based General Electric have been received. More engines are expected by December.
To clear the existing Tejas Mark-1A backlog, Ravi said HAL would need to increase production to between 24 and 30 aircraft annually from 2027.
The IAF has placed an order for 180 Tejas Mark-1A fighters, with deliveries having originally been scheduled to begin in March 2024.
Ravi also said technical negotiations between HAL and General Electric for their proposed joint venture to manufacture F414 engines in India have been completed. According to him, GE is expected to submit its commercial offer by October.
On the 156 light combat helicopters ordered by the Indian military, the HAL CMD said the company currently sees no obstacles to meeting the production target.
He also expressed confidence that pending issues related to the Light Utility Helicopter would be resolved by December.
Meanwhile, HAL is scheduled to hand over two Tejas trainer aircraft and the first batch of HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force on Friday. The company will also deliver four next-generation Dhruv helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited at an event in Bengaluru.
