Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian

public sector The public sector, also called the state sector, is the part of the economy composed of both public services and public enterprises. Public sectors include the public goods and governmental services such as the military, law enforcement, pu ...

aerospace Aerospace is a term used to collectively refer to the atmosphere and outer space. Aerospace activity is very diverse, with a multitude of commercial, industrial, and military applications. Aerospace engineering consists of aeronautics and astron ...

and

defence Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

company, headquartered in

Bengaluru Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. HAL began aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5,

Curtiss P-36 Hawk The Curtiss P-36 Hawk, also known as the Curtiss Hawk Model 75, is an American-designed and built fighter aircraft of the 1930s and 40s. A contemporary of the Hawker Hurricane and Messerschmitt Bf 109, it was one of the first of a new generation ...

and

Vultee A-31 Vengeance The Vultee A-31 Vengeance is an American dive bomber of World War II that was built by Vultee Aircraft. A modified version was called A-35. The Vengeance was not used operationally by the United States but was operated as a front-line aircraft ...

for the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

. HAL currently has 11 dedicated

Research and development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

(R&D) centres and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production units spread across India. HAL is managed by a board of directors appointed by the

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

through the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

, Government of India. In 2024, the company was given

Maharatna Public Sector Undertakings (PSU) in India are government-owned entities in which at least 51% of stake is under the ownership of the Government of India or state governments. These types of firms can also be a joint venture of multiple PSUs. ...

status. HAL is currently involved in the designing and manufacturing of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engine and marine gas turbine engine, avionics, hardware development, spares supply, overhauling and upgrading of Indian military aircraft. The

HAL HF-24 Marut The HAL HF-24 Marut ("Maruts, Spirit of the Tempest") is an Indian jet Fighter aircraft, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) during the 1960s and early 70s. The Marut was designed by the German ae ...

fighter-bomber was the first indigenous fighter aircraft made in India.

History

HAL was established as Hindustan Aircraft Limited in Bangalore (now called

) on 23 December 1940 by

Walchand Hirachand Walchand Hirachand Doshi (23 November 1882 – 8 April 1953) was an Indian industrialist and the founder of the Walchand group. He established India's first modern shipyard, first aircraft factory and first car factory; he also established con ...

in association with

Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV (4 June 1884 – 3 August 1940) was the twenty-fourth Maharaja of Mysore, reigning from 1902 until his death in 1940. Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV is popularly deemed a '' rajarshi'', or 'saintly king', a moniker with which Mah ...

Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted substantially ...

. Walchand Hirachand became chairman of the company. The company's office was opened at a bungalow called "Eventide" on

Domlur Domlur is a small township located in the eastern part of Bangalore city in India. Domlur was included in the erstwhile Bangalore Cantonment, Bangalore Civil and Military Station under the British Madras Presidency till it was transferred to t ...

Road. The organisation and equipment for the factory at Bengaluru was set up by

William D. Pawley William Douglas Pawley (September 7, 1896 — January 7, 1977) was a U.S. ambassador and noted businessman who was associated with the Flying Tigers American Volunteer Group (AVG) during World War II. Early life William Douglas Pawley was born i ...

of the Intercontinental Aircraft Corporation of New York. Pawley obtained a large number of machine-tools and equipment from the United States. The

Mysore Kingdom The Kingdom of Mysore was a geopolitical realm in South India, southern India founded in around 1399 in the vicinity of the modern-day city of Mysore and prevailed until 1950. The territorial boundaries and the form of government transmuted su ...

bought a one-third stake in the company until April 1941 by investing ₹25

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

as it believed this to be a strategic imperative. The decision by the government was primarily motivated to boost British military supplies in Asia to counter the increasing threat posed by

Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

during

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Kingdom of Mysore supplied two directors, Air Marshal

John Higgins John Higgins (born 18 May 1975) is a Scottish professional snooker player from Wishaw in North Lanarkshire. Since turning professional in 1992, he has won 33 ranking titles, placing him in third position on the List of snooker players by num ...

was resident director. The first aircraft built was a Harlow PC-5. On 2 April 1942, the government announced that the company had been nationalised when it bought out the stakes of Seth Walchand Hirachand and other promoters so that it could act freely. The Mysore Kingdom refused to sell its stake in the company but yielded the management control over to the British Indian Government. In 1943 the Bengaluru factory was handed over to the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

but still using Hindustan Aircraft management. The factory expanded rapidly and became the centre for major overhaul and repair of American aircraft and was known as the 84th Air Depot. The first aircraft to be overhauled was a

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA- ...

followed by every type of aircraft operated in India and Burma. When returned to Indian control two years later the factory had become one of the largest overhaul and repair organisations in the East. In the post war reorganisation the company built railway carriages as an interim activity. IJT Prototype in hangar

After India gained independence in 1947, the management of the company was passed over to the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. The total number of broad-gauge coaches manufactured by the Hindustan Aircraft Limited during the year 1954 is 158. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was formed on 1 October 1964 (the

Registrar of Companies A company register is a register of business organizations such as companies in the jurisdiction they operate under. Registration is normally mandated by the government of that jurisdiction. A company register serves a purpose of protection, acco ...

has a registration date of 16 August 1963) when Hindustan Aircraft Limited joined the consortium formed in June by the IAF Aircraft Manufacturing Depot, Kanpur (at the time manufacturing HS748 under licence) and the group recently set up to manufacture MiG-21 under licence, with its new factories planned in Koraput, Nasik and Hyderabad. Though HAL was not used actively for developing newer models of fighter jets, except for the

HF-24 Marut The HAL HF-24 Marut (" Spirit of the Tempest") is an Indian jet fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) during the 1960s and early 70s. The Marut was designed by the German aeronautical engineer Kurt ...

, the company has played a crucial role in modernisation of the

. In 1957, the company started manufacturing

Bristol Siddeley Orpheus The Bristol Siddeley Orpheus is a single-spool turbojet developed by Bristol Siddeley for various light fighter/trainer applications such as the Folland Gnat and the Fiat G.91. Later, the Orpheus formed the core of the first Bristol Pegasus ...

jet engines under licence at new factory located in Bengaluru. HAL Dhruv production line

During the 1980s, HAL's operations saw a rapid increase which resulted in the development of new indigenous aircraft such as the

HAL Tejas The HAL Tejas () is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, Multirole combat aircraft, multirole Military aircraft, combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for t ...

and

HAL Dhruv The HAL Dhruv () is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requ ...

. HAL also developed an advanced version of the

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 (; NATO reporting name: Fishbed) is a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its nicknames include: "''Balalaika''", because its planf ...

, known as MiG-21 ''Bison'', which increased its life-span by more than 20 years. HAL has also obtained several multimillion-dollar contracts from leading international aerospace firms such as

Airbus Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate Airbus Defence and Space, defence and space and Airbus Helicopters, he ...

Boeing The Boeing Company, or simply Boeing (), is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product support s ...

and

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...

to manufacture aircraft spare parts and engines. By 2012, HAL was reportedly bogged down in the details of production and has been slipping on its schedules. On 1 April 2015, HAL reconstituted its Board with TS Raju as CMD, S Subrahmanyan as Director (Operations), VM Chamola as Director (HR), CA Ramana Rao as Director (Finance) and D K Venkatesh as Director (Engineering & R&D). There are two government nominees in the board and six independent directors. IA LCH induction2

In March 2017, HAL's chairman and managing director T Suvarna Raju announced that the company had finalised plans for an indigenisation drive. The company plans to produce nearly 1, 000 military helicopters, including Kamov 226, LCH (Light Combat Helicopter) ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter), and over 100 planes over the next 10 years. HAL will manufacture the Kamov 226T helicopter under a joint venture agreement with Russian defence manufacturers. The Kamov 226T will replace the country's fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. Over the next 5 years, HAL will carry out major upgrades of almost the entire fighter fleet of the Indian Air Force, including Su-30MKI, Jaguars, Mirage and Hawk jets, to make them "more lethal". The company will also deliver 123 Tejas Light Combat Aircraft to the IAF from 2018 to 2019, at a rate of 16 jets per year. LCH production will now take place in a newly built Light Combat Helicopter Production Hangar at Helicopter Division in HAL Complex. In view of the

Make in India is an initiative by the Government of India to create and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing. The policy approach was to create a conducive envi ...

policy and to increase the share of defence exports to achieve the target of $5 billion by 2025, HAL is planning to set up logistic bases in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

and

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

with priority target for

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

West Asia West Asia (also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia) is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian ...

and

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

n markets. It would not only help to promote HAL products but also act as service centre for

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n origin equipment. In October 2024, HAL was given

status, which allows the company to have more operational and financial autonomy. n 2025, HAL invited private Indian companies to enter into a joint venture for the production of the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft, in which HAL would hold a 50% stake and four private companies would each hold a 12.5% stake.

Aero Engine Research and Development Centre

On 29 December 2023,

Defence Secretary A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

Giridhar Aramane Giridhar Aramane (born 12 June 1963) is a retired 1988 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer from Andhra Pradesh cadre, who served as the 39th Defence Secretary of India a position he has held from 31 October 2022 until 31 October 2024. ...

opened a new design and testing facility at the HAL Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru. The engine development projects undertaken by AERDC include: # PTAE-7 engine, the first indigenous turbojet engine of India. Application: Lakshya

target drone A target drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in the training of anti-aircraft crews. One of the earliest drones was the British DH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operation ...

. # Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine-25 (HTFE-25). Application on

trainers Sneakers ( US) or trainers ( UK), also known by a wide variety of other names, are shoes primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise, but are also widely used for everyday casual wear. They were popularized by compani ...

unmanned aerial vehicles An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...

(UAVs), twin-engine small

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

. Facility has two test beds for HTFE-25. # Hindustan Turbo Shaft Engine-1200 (HTSE-1200). Application on light and medium-weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonne-class; single/twine engine configuration) including

HAL Rudra The HAL Rudra () also known as ALH-WSI, is an armed version of the HAL Dhruv utility helicopter which is designed and produced by the Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Rudra was developed in parallel to the ...

HAL Prachand The HAL Prachand () is an Indian multi-role light attack helicopter designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Project ''Light Combat Helicopter'' (LCH). It has been ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the In ...

and HAL LUH. Facility has one test bed for HTSE-1200. # Aravalli Engine. Application on

Indian Multi Role Helicopter The Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) is a medium-lift helicopter currently under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Armed Forces. It is designed for multiple roles, air assault, air-attack, anti-submarine, ant ...

. Development by a

joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...

including AERDC and

Safran Helicopter Engines Safran Helicopter Engines, previously known as Turbomeca, is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power gas turbine turboshaft engines for helicopters. The company also produces gas turbine engines for aircraft and missiles, as well as turbi ...

— SAFHAL Helicopter Engines.

Operations

One of the largest aerospace companies in Asia, HAL has annual turnover of over 3 billion. More than 40% of HAL's revenues come from international deals to manufacture aircraft engines, spare parts, and other aircraft materials. A partial list of major operations undertaken by HAL includes the following:

International agreements

* US$1 billion contract to manufacture aircraft parts for

. * 120

RD-33 The Klimov RD-33 is a turbofan jet engine for a lightweight fighter jet and which is the primary engine for the Mikoyan MiG-29 and CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder. It was developed in OKB-117 led by S. P. Izotov (now OAO Klimov) from 1968 with production ...

MK turbofan engines to be manufactured for MiG-29K by HAL for US$250 million. * Contract to manufacture 1,000 Honeywell TPE331 aircraft engines for

worth US$200,000 each (estimates put total value of deal at US$200 million). * US$120 million deal to manufacture

Dornier 228 The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. 245 were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics ...

for RUAG of

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. * Manufacture of aircraft parts for

Airbus SAS Airbus SE ( ; ; ; ) is a Pan-European aerospace corporation. The company's primary business is the design and manufacturing of commercial aircraft but it also has separate defence and space and helicopter divisions. Airbus has long been the ...

worth US$150 million. * US$100 million contract to export composite materials to Israel Aerospace Industries. * US$65 million joint-research facility with

and planned production of

Honeywell TPE331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by successor Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and developm ...

engines. * US$50.7 million contract to supply

Advanced Light Helicopter The HAL Dhruv () is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requ ...

Ecuadorian Air Force The Ecuadorian Air Force (; FAE) is the air branch of the Armed Forces of Ecuador. Mission To develop the military air wing, in order to execute institutional objectives which guarantee sovereignty and contribute towards the nation's security an ...

. HAL will also open a maintenance base in the country. * US$30 million contract to supply avionics for

Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weath ...

MKM. * US$20 million contract to supply ambulance version of

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

. * Contract of 3 HAL Dhruv helicopters for

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

worth US$20 million. * US$10 million order from

Namibia Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country on the west coast of Southern Africa. Its borders include the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south; in the no ...

for HAL Chetak and Cheetah helicopters. * Supply of HAL Dhruv helicopters to

Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...

' National Police in a deal worth US$7 million. * Unmanned helicopter development project with

Israel Aerospace Industries Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI; ), is Israel's major aerospace and aviation manufacturer, producing aerial and astronautic systems for both military and civilian usage. It has 14,000 employees as of 2021. IAI is state-owned by the government ...

. *US$15 million contract for supplying steel and nickel alloy forgings to

GE Aviation General Electric Company, doing business as GE Aerospace, is an American aircraft engine supplier that is headquartered in Evendale, Ohio, outside Cincinnati. It is the legal successor to the original General Electric Company founded in 1892, wh ...

for its global military and commercial engine programmes.

Domestic agreements

* 221

Sukhoi Su-30MKI The Sukhoi Su-30MKI (NATO reporting name: Flanker-H) is a two-seater, twinjet Multirole combat aircraft, multirole air superiority fighter developed by Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi and built under licence by India's Hindustan Aeronautic ...

being manufactured at HAL's facilities in

Nasik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari River, Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sit ...

Koraput Koraput is a town and a Municipality in Koraput district in the Indian state of Odisha. Koraput town is the district headquarter of Koraput district. History The district of Koraput derives its name from its headquarters in the present town o ...

and Bengaluru. The total contract, which also involves Russia's Sukhoi Aerospace, is worth 3.2 billion. * 200

HAL Light Combat Helicopter The HAL Prachand () is an Indian multi-role light attack helicopter designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Project ''Light Combat Helicopter'' (LCH). It has been ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the In ...

s for the Indian Air Force and 500

helicopters worth US$5.83 billion. * US$900 million aerospace hub in

Shamshabad Shamshabad is a census town in the Indian state of Telangana. It is located in Shamshabad mandal of Rajendranagar revenue division. Sri Vendikonda Siddalingeswara Devastanam temple is situated in Siddulagutta Road in Shamshabad mandal. The inter ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

. * US$57 million upgrade of

SEPECAT Jaguar The SEPECAT Jaguar is a British-French supersonic jet attack aircraft originally used by the British Royal Air Force and the French Air Force in the close air support and nuclear strike role. As of 2025, the Jaguar remains in service with the ...

fleet of the Indian Air Force. * US$55 million helicopter simulator training facility in Bengaluru in collaboration with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

's CAE. * 64

MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twinjet, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the large ...

s to be upgraded by HAL and Russia's MiG Corporation in a programme worth US$960 million. * Licensed production of 82 BAE Hawk 132.

Indigenous products

Over the years, HAL has designed and developed several platforms like the HF-24 Marut, the Dhruv, the LUH, and the LCH. HAL also manufactures indigenous products with technology transferred from the

DRDO The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqu ...

, in association with

Bharat Electronics Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence electronics company, headquartered in Bangalore. It primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for ground and aerospace applications. BEL is one of sixt ...

for its avionics and

Indian Ordnance Factories The Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination & Services) (abbreviated: DOO(C&S)) is an authority under the Department of Defence Production (DDP) of Ministry of Defence (MoD), Government of India. Its primary work is to management, give instructio ...

for the on-board weapons systems and ammunition. HAL supplies

ISRO The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO ) is India's national space agency, headquartered in Bengaluru, Karnataka. It serves as the principal research and development arm of the Department of Space (DoS), overseen by the Prime Minister o ...

, the integrated L-40 stages for

GSLV Mk II Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) is a class of expendable launch systems operated by the ISRO, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). GSLV has been used in List of GSLV launches, fifteen launches since 2001. History The Geo ...

, propellant tanks, feed lines of

PSLV The Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) is an expendable medium-lift launch vehicle designed and operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It was developed to allow India to launch its Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite ...

, GSLV MKII and GSLV MKIII launch vehicles and structures of various satellites.

Agricultural aircraft

* HA-31 Basant ''(1972–1980) (out of production)''

Fighter aircraft

* HAL HF-24 Marut — ''(retired)'' Mk.1 and Mk.1T (200+ built) * MBB/HAL HF-73 — ''(cancelled)'' *

— ''(in service)'' 4.5 generation light combat aircraft (LCA) * HAL Tejas MK2 — 4.5+ generation Medium weight fighter (''under development'') 2025 first flight expected. *

HAL TEDBF The HAL Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter (TEDBF) is a canard delta wing, twin-engine, carrier-based, multirole combat aircraft currently under development for the Indian Navy. The TEDBF is being designed and developed by the Aeronautical Develo ...

— Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter is 4.5+ generation fighter for Indian Navy's aircraft carriers (''under development''). ''HAL ORCA'' version for IAF planned. *

Sukhoi/HAL FGFA The Sukhoi/HAL Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA) was a fifth-generation fighter concept, based on the Russian Sukhoi Su-57, that was being developed by the joint forces of Sukhoi and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, HAL for the Indian Air ...

— ''(cancelled)'' 5th generation fighter based on

Sukhoi SU-57 The Sukhoi Su-57 (; NATO reporting name: Felon) is a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA (, prospective aeronautical complex of front-line aviation) programme, which was in ...

* HAL AMCA **Mk.1: 5th generation stealth fighter (''under development'') ** Mk.2: 5.5th generation stealth fighter ( it will operate in

CATS The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

, a UCAV in the swarm will be equipped with a directed-energy weapon) ''(planned)''.

Trainer aircraft

* HT-2 — (1951–1990) First company design to enter production. Exported to

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

. ''(retired)'' * HAL-26 Pushpak — (1958 to ~1960s) Basic trainer, based on

Aeronca Chief The Aeronca K series, Aeronca Chief, Aeronca Super Chief, Aeronca Tandem, Aeronca Scout, Aeronca Sea Scout, Aeronca Champion and Aeronca Defender were a family of American high-winged light touring aircraft, designed and built starting in the ...

. (''out of production)'' * HJT-16 Kiran — (1964–1989) (''in service'') Mk1, Mk1A and Mk2 - Turbojet trainers scheduled to be replaced with HJT-36 Yashas * HPT-32 Deepak —(1984–2009) ''(retired)'' Basic trainer that was in service for more than three decades. * HTT-34 — ''(retired)'' Turboprop version of HPT-32 Deepak * HTT-35 (''cancelled'') — Proposed replacement for HPT-32 basic trainer in the early 1990s; not pursued * HJT-36 Yashas — Intermediate jet trainer (''under development'') * HJT 39 / CAT — Advanced jet trainer, developed into ''HLFT-42'' ''(cancelled)'' * HTT-40 — Basic trainer (''in production'') first prototype flew its first flight on 31 May 2016. * HLFT-42 — Proposed lead-in fighter trainer.

Passenger, transport and utility aircraft

* Saras — of 14-19 seater capacity multi-purpose civilian light transport aircraft jointly developed with NAL. * Indian Regional Jet (IRJ) — ''(under development)'' of 70-100 seater capacity

regional airliner A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...

to be jointly developed with NAL.

Helicopters

* Dhruv — (''in production'') Advanced light helicopter * Rudra — (''in production'') Armed and reconnaissance version of Dhruv * Prachand — (''in production'') Light attack helicopter * Light Utility Helicopter — (''in limited series production'') Light utility helicopter *

— (''under development'') medium multi-role helicopter. Includes naval version.

Observation and reconnaissance aircraft

* HAOP-27 Krishak (1959 to ~1975) ''(retired)''— Based on HAL-26 Pushpak

Unmanned aerial vehicles

* PTA Lakshya — (

Target drone A target drone is an unmanned aerial vehicle, generally remote controlled, usually used in the training of anti-aircraft crews. One of the earliest drones was the British DH.82 Queen Bee, a variant of the Tiger Moth trainer aircraft operation ...

) * PTA Lakshya 2 — (Target drone) * Rustom — UAV family ** Rustom-1 — Short Range UAV TD ** Archer — Short Range UAV ** SRUAV-W — Short Range

UCAV An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircr ...

** Archer-NG ** Rustom-H —

MALE UAV A medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle flies at an altitude window of 10,000 to 30,000 Foot (length), feet (3,000–9,000 m) for extended durations of time, typically 24 to 48 hours.https://www.leonardocompany.com/en/products/fal ...

TD **

TAPAS-BH-201 The Tactical Airborne Platform for Aerial Surveillance Beyond Horizon-201 or TAPAS BH-201() (formerly referred to as DRDO Rustom, Rustom-II until 2016) is a Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle, medium-altitude long-endurance ...

— MALE UAV * Nishant — Reconnaissance UAV * NRUAV — Unmanned

rotorcraft A rotary-wing aircraft, rotorwing aircraft or rotorcraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotor wing, rotary wings that spin around a vertical mast to generate lift (force), lift. Part 1 (Definitions and Abbreviations) of Subchapter A of Chapt ...

HAL Combat Air Teaming System The HAL Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) is a planned Indian unmanned and manned combat aircraft air teaming system under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The system will consist of a manned fighter aircraft acting as "mother ...

(CATS) ** CATS Mothership for Air teaming Exploitation (MAX) — based on Tejas Mark 1A or

** CATS Warrior ** CATS Air Launched Flexible Assets (ALFA) — Unmanned carrier and launcher of weaponized swarm drone ALPHA-S. ** CATS Hunter — Modular multi-purpose weapon carrying system ** CATS Infinity — High altitude solar powered

atmospheric satellite A high-altitude platform station (HAPS, which can also mean high-altitude pseudo-satellite or high-altitude platform systems), also known as atmospheric satellite, is a long endurance, high altitude aircraft able to offer observation or communi ...

Gliders

* G-1 — HAL's first original design, dating from 1941. Only one was built. * RG-1 Rohini * Ardhra — training glider

Engines

Cryogenic Rocket Engine

CE-7.5 The CE-7.5 is a cryogenic rocket engine developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation to power the upper stage of its GSLV Mk-2 launch vehicle. The engine was developed as a part of the Cryogenic Upper Stage Project (CUSP). It replaced the ...

—

cryogenic rocket engine A cryogenic rocket engine is a rocket engine that uses a cryogenic fuel and oxidizer; that is, both its fuel and oxidizer are gases which have been liquefied and are stored at very low temperatures. These highly efficient engines were first fl ...

(''in production, used on GSLV Mk.II Cryogenic upper stage CUS15)'' *

CE-20 The CE-20 is a cryogenic rocket engine developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), a subsidiary of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It has been developed to power the upper stage of the LVM3. It is the first Indian ...

— cryogenic rocket engine (''in production, used on C25 upperstage of LVM-3)''

Turboshaft Engine

* Shakti — a turboshaft engine for

Helicopter, co-developed with

based on Safran Ardiden 1 ( ''in production and used on LUH, Dhruv, Rudra, Prachand'' ) * Aravalli—a turboshaft engine for the HAL IMRH and HAL DBMRH. Co-produced with ''SAFHAL'', a joint venture with

. (''under development'') * HTSE-1200 — a turboshaft engine can be used as engine alternatives for the HAL-developed LUH, Dhruv,

Rudra Rudra (/ ɾud̪ɾə/; ) is a Rigvedic deity associated with Shiva, the wind or storms, Vayu, medicine, and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the ''Rigveda'', Rudra is praised as the "mightiest of the mighty". Rudra ...

and Prachand helicopters (''under development'')

Turbojet Engine

* Hindustan Jet Engine (HJE-2500) ''(retired)'' * PTAE-7 — ''(in service)'' For indigenously designed

Lakshya PTA Lakshya () is a remotely piloted high speed Indian target drone system developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO. A variant ''Lakshya-1'' is used to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battlefield and target ac ...

Turbofan Engine

* GTX-35VS Kaveri — a turbofan engine can be used in HAL-developed Tejas and AMCA, co-developed with GTRE of (

) and

Safran Aircraft Engines Safran Aircraft Engines, previously Snecma (''Société nationale d'études et de construction de moteurs d'aviation'') or Snecma Moteurs, is a French aerospace engine manufacturer headquartered in Courcouronnes and a subsidiary of Safran. It de ...

(''under development'') * HTFE-25 — a turbofan engine can be used in single engine trainer jets, business jets and UAVs weighing up to 5 tonnes and in twin engine configuration for same weighing up to 9 tonnes (''under development'')

Licensed production

Fighter aircraft

De Havilland Vampire The de Havilland DH100 Vampire is a British jet fighter which was developed and manufactured by the de Havilland, de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was the second jet fighter to be operated by the Royal Air Force, RAF, after the Gloster Meteo ...

— ''(retired)'' first combat jet manufactured by HAL, 250+ FB.52, 60 T.55 models *

Folland Gnat The Folland Gnat is a British compact swept-wing subsonic aircraft, subsonic fighter aircraft that was developed and produced by Folland Aircraft. Envisioned as an affordable light fighter in contrast to the rising cost and size of typical comb ...

— ''(retired)'' Over 175 manufactured by

HAL HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bengaluru, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...

. **

HAL Ajeet The HAL Ajeet (; IAST: Ajīt, ''Undefeatable'' or ''Unconquerable'') was a jet-powered fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It was operated by the Indian Air Force ...

—(retired) improved version of the

, 89 manufactured by

—(''Out of production'') FL, M, Bis and UPG upgrades variants 660 manufactured in '
Aircraft Manufacturing Division
'',

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27 The Mikoyan MiG-27 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger-D/J) is a variable-sweep ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union and later licence-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as th ...

—''(retired)'' A total of 150 ML variant were manufactured in Aircraft Manufacturing Division, Nasik *

— (''Out of production'') IS, IB and IM variants (89 IS, 27 IB and 12 IM variants built) *

— (''In Service)'' a derivative of the

Sukhoi Su-30 The Sukhoi Su-30 (; NATO reporting name: Flanker-C/G/H) is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union in the 1980s by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole fighter for all-weath ...

(272 delivered, 12 on order). Manufactured in Aircraft Manufacturing Division, Nasik

Trainer aircraft

* Harlow PC-5 — first aircraft assembled by HAL *

Percival Prentice The Percival Prentice was a basic trainer of the Royal Air Force in the early postwar period. It was a low-wing monoplane with a fixed tailwheel Landing gear, undercarriage. Front seating was in a side-by-side configuration with a rear seat p ...

— 66 built by HAL * BAE Hawk Mk 132 — The type and its engines are produced under license; proposed to be developed into ''Hawk-i'' fighter - trainer aircraft.

Passenger, transport and utility aircraft

* HS 748 Avro — (''being retired'') modified for military usage, includes Series 2M variant with large freight door. Produced a
Transport Aircraft Division

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

. *

— (''under production'') 117 built with additional fuselage, wings and tail unit for production of the upgraded

Dornier 228 NG The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop STOL utility aircraft, designed and first manufactured by Dornier GmbH (later DASA Dornier, Fairchild-Dornier) from 1981 until 1998. 245 were built in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. In 1983, Hindustan Aeronautics ...

variant. Sometimes referred to as HAL 228. Several variants including Maritime Surveillance and Utility version under production in at Transport Aircraft Division.

Helicopters

* Aerospatiale SA 315B Lama — HAL Cheetah, Lancer, Cheetal Variants * Aerospatiale SA 316B Alouette III — HAL Chetak, Chetan Variants

Engines

Turbofan Engines

* Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 811 — Engine for

, produced under licence i
Engine Division Bangalore
* Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 871 — Engine for BAE Hawk Mk 132, produced under licence in Engine Division Bangalore * Garrett TPE331-5 — Engine for

, produced under licence in Engine Division Bangalore * Saturn AL-31FP — Engine for

, produced under licence i
Sukhoi Engine Division Koraput
* Klimov RD-33MK — Engine for

Mikoyan MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the larger Suk ...

, produced under licence i
Engine Division Koraput
*

Tumansky R-25 The Tumansky R-25 is a turbojet engine, which is seen as the ultimate development of Tumansky R-11. It was designed under the leadership of Sergei Alekseevich Gavrilov. Design and development The Tumansky R-25 was designed as a replacement for ...

— Engine for

, produced under licence in Engine Division Koraput * F414-GE-INS6 — Engine for

HAL Tejas Mk2 The HAL Tejas Mark 2 (), or Medium Weight Fighter (MWF), is an Indian single-engine, Canard (aeronautics), canard delta wing, multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) in collaboration with Aircraft Research ...

and HAL AMCA Mk1, negotiations for licensed production underway. Production in new facility in

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Turboshaft Engine

* Turbomeca TM 333 — Engine for HAL Dhruv Mk 1/2 and

HAL Cheetal HAL may refer to: Aviation * Halali Airport (IATA airport code: HAL) Halali, Oshikoto, Namibia * Hawaiian Airlines (ICAO airline code: HAL) * HAL Airport, Bengaluru, India * Hindustan Aeronautics Limited an Indian aerospace manufacturer of fight ...

, produced under licence i
Engine Division Bangalore

Notable people

Kota Harinarayana Kota Harinarayana (born 1943 in Brahmapur, Odisha) is an Indian aviation engineer. He was appointed as chairman of the board of governors of IIT (BHU), Varanasi by Hon'ble President of India on 25 August 2020 till 25 August 2023. He was the v ...

(b. 1943), president of the

Aeronautical Society of India Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI) is the principal Society in India serving the professions in areas of aeronautics, aerospace and aviation. Its stated primary purpose is to "advance the sciences, engineering, technology and management of aer ...

and chief designer of

Kurt Tank Kurt Waldemar Tank (24 February 1898 – 5 June 1983) was a German aeronautical engineer and test pilot who led the design department at Focke-Wulf from 1931 to 1945. He was responsible for the creation of several important Luftwaffe aircraft of ...

(1898–1983), German aeronautical engineer, designed Hindustan Marut fighter-bomber *

Roddam Narasimha Roddam Narasimha Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (20 July 193314 December 2020) was an Indian aerospace scientist and fluid dynamics, fluid dynamicist. He was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (1962–1999) ...

(1933–2020), aerospace scientist and

fluid dynamicist The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to fluid dynamics: Below is a structured list of topics in fluid dynamics. What type of thing is fluid dynamics? Fluid dynamics can be described as all of the followi ...

Vishnu Madav Ghatage Vishnu Madav Ghatage (24 October 1908 – 6 December 1991) was an Indian aeronautical engineer, known for his pioneering conceptual and engineering contributions to Indian aeronautics. He led the team which designed and developed HAL HT-2, ...

(1908–1991), one of the pioneers of Indian aeronautics

References

External links

*
Ready to roll: HAL offers its light combat helicopter to Indian Air Force
{{Authority control Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Aircraft manufacturers of India Defence companies of India Aerospace companies of India Aircraft engine manufacturers of India Gas turbine manufacturers Indian Air Force Science and technology in Karnataka Manufacturing companies based in Bengaluru Government-owned companies of India Walchand Group Companies nationalised by the Government of India Unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers Science and technology in Bengaluru Indian brands Engine manufacturers of India Companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India Companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange Indian companies established in 1940 Companies based in Nashik

History

Aero Engine Research and Development Centre

Operations

International agreements

Domestic agreements

Indigenous products

Agricultural aircraft

Fighter aircraft

Trainer aircraft

Passenger, transport and utility aircraft

Helicopters

Observation and reconnaissance aircraft

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Gliders

Engines

Cryogenic Rocket Engine

Turboshaft Engine

Turbojet Engine

Turbofan Engine

Licensed production

Fighter aircraft

Trainer aircraft

Passenger, transport and utility aircraft

Helicopters

Engines

Turbofan Engines

Turboshaft Engine

Notable people

See also

References

External links