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 Kota said on Thursday (September 17, 2026), The Hindu reported.

Speaking to The Hindu at the HAL headquarters, Ravi said the growing number of aerospace programmes and products required greater participation from the private sector.

“HAL cannot do everything on its own. An ecosystem has to be developed 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.

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 TEJAS MK-1 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 have 10 engines and we are discussing with the OEM regarding the delays. We are getting the airframe ready so when we get engines, we make the aircraft ready,” he said.

According to Ravi, HAL currently has 25 TEJAS airframes ready.

“We are hopeful GE will resolve all their issues and start delivering the balance engines,” he said.

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. I have my own internal timeline,” he said.

Other reporting from the same day indicated HAL had 27 TEJAS MK-1A airframes ready, with final work pending on AESA radar integration and missile carriage trials before the first batch could be handed over, and that the company hoped to complete this by the end of 2026.

GE Aerospace has shipped three additional F404-IN20 engines in early September 2026, taking the total delivered for the TEJAS MK-1A program to 10, with HAL expecting to have 22 engines by December 2026 if planned shipments arrive on time.

HAL has been enforcing contractual penalties on GE Aerospace over earlier F404 engine delivery delays that pushed the TEJAS MK-1A program more than two years behind its original schedule.

With regard to the GE F414 engine, which is planned to power the TEJAS MK-2, Ravi said the ball is in GE’s court.

“All technical issues have been resolved. 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,” Ravi said.

He added that HAL hopes to receive the Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) clearance from the Ministry of Defence, which will enable the company to proceed towards signing the contract with GE.

HAL and GE Aerospace are in advanced talks for joint manufacture of the F414-INS6 engine in India, with an 80% transfer of technology envisaged once the commercial proposal and contractual terms are finalised.

The TEJAS MK-2 airframe assembly has been completed, with ground runs targeted around March 2027 and a first flight expected in late 2027, contingent on engine availability and system integration progress.

HAL has also, for the first time, received dual certification for its Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters, he said, meaning that the company can pursue both military and civil helicopter platforms.

HAL will hand over the TEJAS Final Operational Clearance twin-seater trainer aircraft and HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the IAF at an event in Bangalore on Friday, along with the Dhruv NG helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu are scheduled to be present on the occasion, along with stakeholders from the aerospace and defence sectors.

The handover is expected to showcase the expanding capabilities of HAL and its industry partners in designing, developing, and manufacturing aerospace platforms for military as well as civilian applications.

It will also highlight the role of the domestic aerospace industry in strengthening indigenous design, development, and manufacturing capabilities, and reducing dependence on foreign sources.

In parallel, HAL is set to complete delivery of the last two TEJAS MK-1 twin-seat trainers to the IAF this month, wrapping up the original TEJAS order even as MK-1A deliveries are yet to begin in earnest.

The defence ministry’s annual report has indicated that the second tranche of 97 TEJAS MK-1A aircraft is expected to start arriving from next year, subject to stabilisation of engine supplies and production ramp-up.

HAL’s emphasis on private sector participation extends across programs, with major structural components already outsourced to Indian vendors while HAL concentrates on final integration, flight testing, and certification activities.

This strategy is intended to deepen the role of MSMEs and Start-Ups in the aerospace value chain, shorten development cycles, and build redundancy in the supply base for future fighters, trainers, helicopters, and unmanned systems.

By leveraging private capacity for sub-assemblies, tooling, and specialised parts, HAL aims to scale output without overstretching its own facilities, while nurturing a broader industrial ecosystem capable of supporting next-generation platforms such as the AMCA and Combat Air Teaming System.

Agencies