Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) Twin Seater Trainers & three HTT 40 Basic Trainers to the Indian Air Force (IAF), and four Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Civil Aviation Shri K Rammohan Naidu in Bengaluru, Karnataka on September 18, 2026. In his address, Raksha Mantri described the handing over as a significant milestone in the nation’s progress towards indigenous aerospace capability, technological self-confidence and self-reliance. “Our aim is to make India capable, self-reliant, and globally competitive in meeting its aerospace requirements,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh asserted that India is moving systematically towards Aatmanirbharta in defence, as the nation is manufacturing the state-of-the-art equipment indigenously ever since Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi-led Government began working with the core mantra of self-reliance. “We’ve taken steps to not only provide the opportunity to Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) to advance in the defence sector, but also encourage the private industry, ensuring a level playing field,” he added, while listing the steps taken by the Ministry of Defence to promote self-reliance.
Raksha Mantri stressed the need to advance systematically in the aerospace sector, terming self-reliance in the domain as the need of the hour. “There can be no sudden ‘big bang’ in the development of aerospace systems. It is a vast and gradual process involving a wide range of components. All the products and components involved represent small rungs on a long ladder; we must move forward one step at a time. Naturally, there would be challenges, but we need to view them as milestones on a larger roadmap to achieve progress in a sector as complex and crucial as aerospace,” he said.
Shri Rajnath Singh also termed the handing over ceremony as a symbol of the growing synergy between civil aviation and defence aerospace capabilities, emphasising that the development of a robust aerospace industry should not be limited merely to meeting defence requirements. He called for building an ecosystem capable of effectively addressing the needs of both the civil and military aviation sectors. “When capabilities such as aircraft design, avionics, propulsion, composite materials, flight control systems, manufacturing, and certification are developed within the country, they benefit the entire aerospace sector. We must build an integrated aerospace ecosystem which is self-reliant across every domain. I am confident of achieving this endeavour through our collective strength,” he said.
