Latest news with #TejasMk1A
India Gazette
4 days ago
- Business
- India Gazette
First centre fuselage for LCA Tejas Mk 1A handed over to HAL
New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): 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 on May 30, the Ministry of Defence said in a release on Friday. The handover took place in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of HAL, Dr DK Sunil. According to the release, this marks the first time a major sub-assembly for the LCA Tejas has been manufactured by a private Indian company. Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar hailed the partnership between HAL and VEM Technologies for accelerating the production of LCA Mk 1A. He said that defence production and exports are growing significantly, at about 10 per cent annually. This would not have been possible without the support of industries and Public Sector Units like HAL. The country's security and sovereignty are paramount and cannot be achieved without its own manufacturing and supply of spare parts, which could meet the requirements of the Armed Forces. 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. The LCA Tejas Division has already received structural modules of air intake assemblies, rear fuselage assemblies, loom assemblies, and fin and rudder assemblies in the Mk1A configuration. HAL plans to extend this outsourcing model to future projects, reinforcing its in-house capacity with the expertise of Indian industry. In line with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, HAL continues to drive indigenisation efforts in the aerospace and defence sector. HAL has partnered with over 6,300 Indian vendors, including 2,448 MSMEs, supporting thousands of skilled jobs and contributing to a robust domestic supply chain. In the last three years, HAL has placed orders worth Rs 13,763 crore with Indian vendors and is actively pursuing the indigenisation of complex aircraft systems and critical components across platforms. (ANI)
United News of India
4 days ago
- Business
- United News of India
First centre fuselage for LCA Tejas Mk 1A handed over to HAL
New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) In a significant 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 on Friday. The handover took place in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of HAL, DK Sunil, a Defence Ministry statement said. This event marks the first time a major sub-assembly for the LCA Tejas is being manufactured by a private Indian company. Speaking on the occasion, Sanjeev Kumar hailed the partnership between HAL and VEM Technologies in accelerating the production of LCA Mk 1A. He said, "There is a significant growth in defence production at a rate of about 10 percent 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 our own manufacturing and supply of spare parts, which could meet the requirements of the Armed Forces". 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. The LCA Tejas Division has already received structural modules of air intake assemblies, rear fuselage assemblies, loom assemblies, and fin and rudder assemblies in the Mk1A configuration. HAL plans to extend this outsourcing model to future projects, reinforcing its in-house capacity with the expertise of Indian industry. In line with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, HAL continues to drive indigenisation efforts in the aerospace and defence sector. In the last three years, HAL has placed orders worth Rs 13,763 crore with Indian vendors and is actively pursuing the indigenisation of complex aircraft systems and critical components across platforms. UNI RBE SSP
News18
4 days ago
- Business
- News18
Defence Ministry Announces To Reduce Procurement Timelines A Day After IAF Chief Flagged Delays
Last Updated: The Defence Ministry's statement came a day after Air Force Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh raised concerns over delays in major defence procurement projects. The Defence Ministry on Friday said that it has slashed the defence procurement timelines by 69 weeks and is transitioning from cost-plus to competitive pricing models in a bid to to accelerate modernisation and ensure equitable treatment for both public and private sector participants. 'Major reforms in defence procurement are underway. The Ministry of Defence has slashed timelines by 69 weeks and is shifting from cost-plus models to competitive pricing. These steps are designed to accelerate modernisation and bring public & private sectors on equal footing," the ministry said in a post on X. Major reforms in defence procurement are underway. The Ministry of Defence has slashed timelines by 69 weeks and is shifting from cost-plus models to competitive pricing. These steps are designed to accelerate #modernisation and bring public & private sectors on equal footing.…— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) May 30, 2025 The Defence Ministry's statement came a day after Air Force Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh raised concerns over delays in major defence procurement projects. While addressing the CII Annual Business Summit 2025, the Air Marshal emphasised on the need to expedite the defence procurement process and said that the industry should not make promises if it cannot deliver on time. 'So, once a timeline is given, not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time. So this is something we must look at," the Air Force chief said, adding, 'Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?" he had said. He further added that while signing the contract itself, the forces are sometimes sure that it is not going to come up on time, but still contracts are signed. 'Sometimes we know it's unachievable but sign the contract anyway. We need to be realistic and transparent from the start," he added. The Air Force Chief had further pushed for faster indigenisation and domestic capability under the government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative. 'We need both capability and capacity. We can't just produce in India – we must design and develop here too. To produce at scale, we need capacity. So, trust and communication between the forces and industry must continue. We need to be open and forthright to ensure the relationship stays strong," he added. Earlier in February, he had expressed dissatisfaction over the delayed delivery of Tejas Mk1A fighter jets by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. 'I was promised that when I come here in February, 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready. And not a single one is ready. We all have worked there (in HAL). But I find that HAL is just not in mission mode," he had said. First Published:
Scroll.in
5 days ago
- Business
- Scroll.in
IAF chief raises concern about delay in defence procurements
Indian Air Force chief Amar Preet Singh on Thursday raised concerns about the delays in several defence acquisition projects and the failure to adhere to delivery schedules for the supply of military platforms, PTI reported. Addressing a Confederation of Indian Industry event, the air chief marshal said that adherence to timelines were a big problem. 'Not a single project that I can think of has been completed on time,' Singh said, adding that the armed forces had refrained from calling a 'black sheep as black sheep'. It was unclear which projects the air force chief was referring to. Noting that this was a matter that had to be looked into, Singh said: 'Why should we promise something which cannot be achieved?' He added: 'While signing the contract itself, sometimes, we are sure that it is not going to come up. But we just sign the contract and see what can be done after that… obviously then the process gets vitiated.' Singh also said that no military operations could be conducted without air power, adding that Operation Sindoor was testimony to that, The Indian Express reported. 'Our focus, as far as air power is concerned, we need to make sure that we have the capability and the capacity,' the air chief marshal said. 'We cannot just talk about producing in India, we need to start designing and developing in India.' The current geopolitical situation 'made us realise that atmanirbharta [self-reliance] is the only solution', the air chief marshal said, adding that Operation Sindoor had given the armed forces a clear idea of where 'we are headed and what we need in the future'. Singh also noted the need to have trust and open communication between the armed forces and the industry, The Indian Express reported. He added that the air force was putting in the maximum possible effort towards the Make in India programme. 'We have to now be ready to be future-ready,' Singh said. 'That is the concern.' While there could be more output from the Indian industry and the Defence Research and Development Organisation over the next 10 years, 'what is required today is required today', the air chief marshal said. Singh's remarks came in the backdrop of a delay in the delivery of 83 Tejas Mk 1A fighter jets by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, The Indian Express reported. The contract for the light combat aircraft had been signed with the state-owned aerospace and defence company in 2021. The air force had also signed a contract with HAL for the delivery of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft, according to the newspaper. The induction for the aircraft was scheduled to start in September. The statements also came amid tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad, which escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.
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First Post
5 days ago
- Business
- First Post
‘Not a single project completed on time': Air Chief Marshal flags delay in defence procurement
'Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Timelines are a big issue. Not a single project I can think of is completed on time,' Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh said. read more India's Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh raised serious concerns about persistent delays plaguing the country's defence procurement projects, highlighting stalled deliveries of critical military hardware, particularly indigenous systems. 'Many times, we know while signing contracts that those systems will never come. Timelines are a big issue. Not a single project I can think of is completed on time. Why should we promise something that cannot be achieved?' Singh said at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, according to a report by NDTV. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD He specifically cited the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme, noting significant delays in deliveries of the Tejas Mk1A fighter jets, despite a Rs 48,000 crore contract signed with state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in February 2021. The first aircraft were due in March 2024, but none have been delivered yet. 'Deliveries of Tejas Mk1 are delayed. The prototype of Tejas Mk2 is yet to roll out. There is no prototype yet of the stealth AMCA fighter,' Singh emphasised. The Air Chief Marshal stressed the urgent need to align domestic defence production capabilities with strategic and operational demands under the government's 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiative. 'We cannot just talk about producing in India, we need to talk about designing. We need to have trust between the forces and industry. We need to be very open. Once we have committed to something, we should deliver. Air Force is trying to do its best to make in India,' Singh added. He also referenced India's recent military action, Operation Sindoor, launched in retaliation for a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation eliminated over 100 terrorists linked to Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba. 'Operation Sindoor, as it was told by the Chief of Naval Staff, the character of war is changing. Every day, we are finding new technologies coming in. Operation Sindoor has given us a clear idea of where we are headed and what we need in future. So a lot of work needs to be done in realigning our own thought processes also, which is already going on,' Singh noted. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Singh underlined the importance of timely defence procurement and emphasized the inclusion of private industry in developing the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a stealth fighter program. 'AMCA - advanced medium combat aircraft has been cleared for even participation by private industry, which is a very big step, and that is the kind of confidence that the nation has in private industry today, and I'm sure this is going to pave the way to bigger things coming in the future,' he stated. The Air Chief's concerns are not new. In October last year, shortly after assuming office, Singh had warned that India had fallen behind China in military technology. 'As far as production rates are concerned, we are way behind. We need to catch up,' he had said. In February this year, Singh sparked controversy when an accidental recording captured him criticizing HAL, expressing frustration over unfulfilled commitments. 'I was promised that when I come here in February, 11 Tejas Mk1As would be ready. And not a single one is ready. We all have worked there (in HAL). But I find that HAL is just not in mission mode,' he was heard saying. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
