Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) cannot develop and manufacture every component on its own and is therefore building a wider domestic aerospace ecosystem by involving private defence manufacturers, including MSMEs and start-ups, HAL Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Ravi K. said on Thursday (September 17, 2026).
“We have 10 engines and we are discussing with the OEM regarding the delays. Ravi, HAL currently has 25 Tejas airframes ready. Because so many products are coming up,” he said, adding that HAL had outsourced major structural components to private vendors while focusing its own resources on core integration and assembly activities, an ecosystem has to be developed.
Speaking to The Hindu at the HAL headquarters, Mr. “HAL cannot do everything on its own. He, however, did not commit to any specific timeline for delivery of the remaining aircraft, saying the process was iterative. “I am not promising any timeline.
Ravi said the growing number of aerospace programmes and products required greater participation from the private sector. This approach, he said, was aimed at creating a robust domestic supply chain for indigenous aerospace manufacturing. On the delay in HAL’s deliveries of the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1 to the Indian Air Force (IAF), the HAL CMD said the company was in discussions with GE Aerospace, the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), about delays in engine supplies. We are getting the airframe ready so when we get engines, we make the aircraft ready,” he said. According to Mr. “We are hopeful GE will resolve all their issues and start delivering the balance engines,” he said. I have my own internal timeline,” he said.
With regard to the GE F414 engine, which is planned to power the LCA Mk2, Mr. “All technical issues have been resolved.
Ravi said the ball is in GE’s court. We are expecting the commercial proposal from GE,” he said, noting that GE had earlier indicated it would require around three months to submit the proposal. “By October, we should get something, or they may take one or two more months since it’s a big project,” Mr. Ravi said.
