HAL Delivers Indigenous Aircraft to Indian Air Force and Pawan Hans

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited delivered a new fleet of indigenous aircraft to the Indian Air Force and Pawan Hans Limited on Friday, September 18, 2026, in a ceremony that highlighted India's advancing self-reliance in defence manufacturing. The handover in Bengaluru was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, along with senior officials from the defence and aviation sectors. During the event, HAL handed over two LCA Tejas FOC Twin Seater Trainers and three HTT40 Basic Trainer Aircraft to the Indian Air Force. Additionally, four Dhruv Next Generation helicopters were delivered to Pawan Hans Limited, a state-owned helicopter service provider. The delivery of the Tejas trainers completes the twin-seater obligations under the Final Operational Clearance contract, while the HTT40 marks the beginning of supplies under a larger 70-aircraft contract. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh emphasized that the milestone reflects India's systematic progress towards Aatmanirbharta, or self-reliance, in defence. He noted that since 2014, the government has focused on indigenous manufacturing of state-of-the-art equipment.