HAL receives first centre fuselage for LCA Tejas Mk 1A

The Ministry of Defence said in a release on Friday that in a boost to India's indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities, the first centre fuselage assembly for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A was handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by VEM Technologies in Hyderabad.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (Defence Production), Sanjeev Kumar hailed the partnership between HAL and VEM Technologies in accelerating the production of LCA Mk 1A. He said that there is a significant growth in defence production at a rate of about 10% annually as well as in our defence exports. This would not have been possible without the support of industries and Public Sector Units like HAL. Security and sovereignty of the country are paramount and cannot be achieved without own manufacturing and supply of spare parts which could meet the requirements of the Armed Forces, he added.

CMD, HAL, acknowledged the rapid growth of Tier 1 and MSME suppliers in the production of the LCA Tejas. The handover marked a significant milestone in establishing a fourth production line for the LCA Mk1A, in addition to the two existing lines in HAL-Bengaluru and one in HAL-Nashik. He assured that with major sub-assemblies underway, HAL will increase the production of the LCA aircraft and ensure timely deliveries to the Indian Air Force.

HAL has built a national aerospace ecosystem by closely supporting private partners and providing critical inputs such as jigs, fixtures, tools, and technical know-how. This has enabled companies like L&T, Alpha Tocol, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), VEM Technologies, and Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) to produce complex sub-assemblies such as centre fuselages, fuel drop tanks, pylons, rear fuselages, wings, fins, rudders, and air intakes.