Is It Time For HAL To Buckle Up?

Is HAL capable of being the next generation aerospace agency that India needs it to be? Here’s a SWOT analysis of its strengths and weaknesses

- Manish K. Jha

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has been accused of taking as long as 35 years to manufacture India’s first light combat aircraft (LCA), Tejas. Recently Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman held HAL responsible for the cancellation of the Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) deal during the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, casting aspersions on the capability of the defence public sector undertaking (DPSU).

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s ostensible ineptness justifies the present government’s decision to purchase the 36 Rafale aircraft from France in a fly-away condition. Perhaps, it is not entirely justified to blame HAL for the delays in delivering aircraft to the defence forces or to question the capability of this giant DPSU. BW Businessworld looks at the scoreboard in a bid to assess HAL’s hits and misses over the years and whether it had what it takes to be the agency that could deliver the next generation aircraft that India needs for its Armed Forces.

The Track Record

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has a long track record of manufacturing 17 types of aircraft and a type of aero engine entirely from its in-house R&D. It is also the licensed manufacturer of 14 types of aircraft like the MiG 21 and over a thousand aircraft system equipment (avionics, mechanical and electrical), demonstrating a unique capability to work on many different platforms, types and makes. R. Madhavan, Chairman and Managing Director, HAL emphasises the company’s capability to produce “many generations of (license-based) fighter aircraft”.

The Rafale Deal