Today, in a ceremony at HAL’s Nashik Division, the Defence Secretary, Giridhar Aramane, inaugurated the third LCA production line and handed over the 100th Sukhoi-30 MKI ROH (Repair and Overhaul) aircraft to Air Vice Marshal Sarin, VSM, Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Eng A), Indian Air Force. Saket Chaturvedi, CEO (MiG Complex), presented Air Vice Marshal Sarin, VSM, with the Signal Out Certificate (SOC) of the 100th ROH aircraft in the presence of HAL CMD, C.B.Ananthakrishnan, and other senior officials.
The Defence Secretary praised HAL’s efforts in establishing an ROH facility for the Su-30 MKI and a new production line for the LCA. He noted that HAL has been meeting the country’s security requirements. He stated that the government had issued several ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ policies, which places HAL in a position of great importance. HAL will produce more in the coming years, he said, adding that the company will develop more systems and introduce new ideas and platforms for future expansion. In addition, he exhorted HAL to undertake new initiatives to aggressively compete in the defence market and to explore new fields, such as unmanned vehicles, as the country has a need for such advanced systems. He emphasised performance and initiatives, innovation, and excellence. He travelled to the LCA Assembly Complex, the Su-30 ROH Flight Hangar, and the Final Assembly Hangar.
C.B.Ananthakrishnan, managing director of HAL, stated that the new production line would increase the company’s annual LCA MK1A production capacity from 16 to 24 aircraft. Despite supply chain issues in the current geopolitical climate, the Nashik Division of HAL has attained a peak overhaul capacity of 20 Su-30 aircraft per year, he reported. In Bengaluru, HAL has already established two LCA manufacturing facilities.
In 2014, HAL’s Nashik Division established the world’s first Su-30 MKI Repair and Overhaul (ROH) facility to satisfy the operational needs of the Indian Air Force. HAL effectively mastered the technology with the assistance of the IAF, regulatory bodies, and private industries after gaining experience from manufacturing MiG-series and Su30-MKI aircraft and subsequent overhaul of MiG-series aircraft. Multiple HAL subsidiary divisions participate in ROH activities. Within the next three to five years, HAL intends to indigenise the preponderance of ROH-required components, thereby decreasing its reliance on original equipment manufacturers.
