In a significant step toward boosting indigenous defence manufacturing, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) received the first set of wing assemblies for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A from Larsen & Toubro (L&T) at its facility in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Thursday.
The handover was conducted by L&T’s Precision Manufacturing and Systems Complex, with HAL’s General Manager (LCA Tejas Division) M Abdul Salam receiving the assemblies. Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar attended the event virtually and commended HAL and L&T for their collaborative efforts in advancing India’s goal of defence self-reliance.
Kumar praised HAL for nurturing partnerships across the private sector, saying, “Such collaborations are essential to reduce dependency on imports and meet our production goals for LCA Tejas.”
HAL Chairman and Managing Director DK Sunil described the milestone as a result of years of cooperation and dedication between HAL and L&T. “HAL has successfully established a parallel aircraft structural assembly line in the private sector, significantly increasing production capacity for the Tejas programme,” he stated.
Arun Ramchandani, Senior Vice President and Head of L&T Precision Engineering and Systems, revealed that L&T is currently set to deliver four wing sets annually, with plans to ramp up production to 12 sets per year using advanced automation techniques.
This development is part of a broader initiative to involve multiple Indian industry partners in the LCA Tejas Mk1A program. So far, HAL has sourced key components from various companies:
- Air Intake Assemblies from Lakshmi Machine Works
- Rear Fuselage from Alpha Tocol
- Loom Assemblies from Amphenol
- Fin & Rudder Assemblies from Tata Advanced Systems
- Centre Fuselage from VEM Technologies
- Wing Assemblies from Larsen & Toubro
Earlier this week, India also received the second GE-404 engine from the US for the Mk1A aircraft, with 12 more engines expected by the end of the financial year. These engines will power the 83 LCA Mk1A jets already ordered by the Indian Air Force, with an additional proposal for 97 more jets currently under advanced review by the Ministry of Defence.
The LCA Mk1A program represents a major leap in India’s push for indigenous capability in the aerospace and defence sectors, aligning with the national vision of Aatmanirbharta (self-reliance).
