HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS LIMITED
Hindustan Aircraft (Pvt) Ltd, established at Bangalore in 1940, was taken over by the Indian Ministry of Industry and Supplies in 1945, transferring to Ministry of Defence control in 1951. In August 1963, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was incorporated as a wholly government-owned entity, adopting its present existence upon merging (with no change of name) with Aeronautics India Ltd (AIL) on 1 October 1964. HAL had manufactured more than 3,400 aircraft and 3,100 aero-engines by August 2002. It has 14 manufacturing divisions at eight locations (seven at Bangalore, one each at Nasik, Koraput, Hyderabad, Barrackpore, Kanpur, Lucknow and Korwa), plus Design and Development Complex; nine R&D centres located with manufacturing divisions; all divisions have ISO 9000, 9001 and 9002 accreditation. Workforce 31,650 in mid-2002. Additional production centres at Nasik and Koraput were due to open during 2002. Hyderabad Division manufactures avionics for all aircraft produced by HAL, plus air route surveillance and precision approach radars; Lucknow Division produces instruments and other accessories under licence from manufacturers in France, Russia and the UK; Korwa manufactures inertial navigation and nav/attack systems.
Former Multirole Transport Aircraft (MTA) project now an international joint venture with Ilyushin and Irkut of Russian Federation.
Turnover during 2002-03 totalled Rs30.1 billion, including Rs1.03 billion in exports; net profit during this period was Rs4.51 billion; turnover targeted to increase by 20 per cent in 2003-04, in which period HAL planned to invest Rs9 billion in improved facilities to produce LCA, HJT-36 and Su-30MKI.
DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT COMPLEX
HAL currently has nine Research and Design (R&D) Centres, including one each for fixed-wing aircraft (ARDC) and rotary-wing (RWRDC) programmes. Former's main programmes are LCA (managed now by ADA) and HJT-36; latter concerned mainly with Dhruv ALH. Transport Aircraft R&D Centre was responsible for developing oversize cabin door, integration of Super Marec radar, gun pod, IR/UV scanner and flight data recorder for HAL-built Dornier 228 programme. Earlier designs have included HT-2, Pushpak, Krishak, Basant, Marut, Kiran, Deepak and HTT-34. Jet trainer successor to Kiran was revealed as HJT-36 in 1998; prototypes are now under construction. Complex workforce 1,901 in January 2003.
BANGALORE COMPLEX
Bangalore Complex comprises Aircraft Division, Helicopter Division, Aerospace Division, Engine Division, Overhaul Division, Foundry and Forge Division, Industrial and Marine Gas Turbines Division, and Airport Services Centre. Programmes include subcontract work for leading aerospace companies such as BAE Systems, EADS, Boeing and Latecoere. Aircraft Division will complete 50 of 66 BAE Hawks, if these are eventually ordered for the Indian Air Force (eight from CKD kits, 42 by local manufacture, after delivery of 16 UK-built aircraft from BAE).
Aerospace Division manufactures light alloy structures and assemblies for satellites and launch vehicles. Engine Division manufactures, overhauls and repairs Adour Mk 811. Artouste IIIB and TPE331-5 engines; it also overhauls and repairs Adour Mk 804E, Dart, Gnome, Orpheus and Avon engines. Overhaul of Jaguar, Kiran, Mirage and An-32 aircraft, Cheetah helicopters and Pratt & Whitney and Textron Lycoming piston engines is undertaken by Overhaul Division.
TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT DIVISION
This Division established in 1960 to manufacture Hawker Siddeley (Avro) 748; is currently responsible for manufacture of the Dornier 228, and for overhaul maintenance and repair of the Dornier 228, HS 748, HAL HPT-32 and civil aircraft. Co-operation agreement with Israel Aircraft Industries 21 February 2002 involves HAL in IAI (Bedek) Boeing 737 freighter conversion programme. Division assisting in design and development, and manufacturing prototypes, of the CSIR Saras; series production at Kanpur is planned. also plans coproduction of ATR42/72, for which launch order awaited in early 2003. Co-design and development of 100-seat turbofan transport in progress in 2003.
Division holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 accreditation and is equipped with Transport Aircraft Research and Design Centre (TARDC) specialising in role modifications, sensor integration, aircraft upgrades and repair technology.