Defence Minister Rajnath Singh launched two significant aircraft production lines at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Nashik facility. These include the third line for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A and the second line for the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40). The event also marked the commencement of the first LCA Mk1A aircraft production at the facility.
During the event, the defence minister praised the successful production of Tejas Mk1A, highlighting it as a testament to India’s increasing self-sufficiency in defense. He credited the transformation in India’s defense manufacturing sector to the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the last decade.
Singh pointed out that India has reduced its reliance on imported defense equipment from 70 percent to around 65 percent produced domestically. He emphasized the shift towards indigenous manufacturing of items previously imported, such as fighter aircraft, missiles, engines, and electronic warfare systems.
The minister expressed the government’s ambition to raise domestic defense production to 100 percent in the upcoming years. He acknowledged past challenges like import dependency, limited private sector involvement, and insufficient emphasis on innovation and advanced technology, which had left India dependent on foreign suppliers.
Singh highlighted the sector’s achievements, noting that annual defense production had risen from Rs 46,429 crore in 2014–15 to over Rs 1.50 lakh crore in 2024–25, with exports reaching Rs 25,000 crore compared to less than Rs 1,000 crore a decade ago. The government aims to increase defense manufacturing to Rs 3 lakh crore and exports to Rs 50,000 crore by 2029.
Addressing the evolving nature of modern warfare, Singh stressed the importance of India staying ahead in areas like Artificial Intelligence, cyber warfare, drones, and next-generation aircraft. He urged HAL to enhance innovation in unmanned systems and civil aviation to maintain a competitive edge.
Singh praised HAL as the cornerstone of India’s defense sector, lauding its support for operations like the decommissioning of the MiG-21 fleet and Operation Sindoor. The newly established LCA Mk1A production line at HAL’s Nashik division, set up in just two years, has the capacity to produce eight aircraft annually, contributing to a total yearly production capacity of 24 Tejas aircraft.
Additionally, the Nashik division provides extensive overhaul and repair services, currently catering to the Su-30 MKI fleet. Singh concluded by stressing the importance of collaboration between the government, industry, and academia to achieve self-reliance in defense manufacturing.