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Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is considering at least four States to set up new facilities for four of its premier projects, according to a senior company official.
Apart from Karnataka, its base of 50 years, it is looking at Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh — the first two being new locations for the defence PSU — Mr N.C. Agarwal, Director, Design and Development, told Business Line . “We will try to go wherever the State governments can offer land to us. Setting up the facility may take up to two years from when we start,” he said. Recently, it was exploring sites in Shimoga – where the Departments of Defence R&D and space have said they are expanding.
In Tamil Nadu a place which is close to Bangalore, such as Krishnagiri, was preferred, Mr Agarwal said.
Over the next few years, the navratna defence public enterprise will be in the thick of major manufacturing activity and it will be initiating programmes to design and develop new aircraft. Some 108 of the 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) that the Ministry of Defence is currently negotiating to buy from two European vendors will be manufactured by HAL. With Russia, it is co-developing a new FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft) and a Multi-role Transport Aircraft (MTA).
It has its own project to build a three-tonne LUH or light utility and observation helicopters for the Armed Forces.
“For the MMRCA, we are trying to fix up Bangalore as it needs facilities like a runway. The LUH can go outside Bangalore,” Mr Agarwal said.
Other locations
The FGFA could find a new facility at Nashik, where the Sukhoi-30i fighters are already being made. Likewise, HAL may settle for Kanpur, an existing centre, for the national part of the MTA. The MTA is a $600-million, 50:50 partnership between HAL and Russia's UAC and Rosoboronexport, and is to have facilities in both the countries.
During the Aero India 2011 in early February, Mr D. Shivamurthi, who was then HAL's Director - Finance, had said the company would invest around Rs 20,000 crore on facilities and upgrades over the next ten years. Mr Agarwal, without mentioning likely investments, said the expansion would be covered under this plan.
Some recruitments would be needed, both additional and some to replace retiring engineers, he concurred.
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