HAL: A Saga Of Integrating Global Aerospace Industry With Indian Design Agencies, Private Companies and Startups
Playing a seminal role in Indian defence industry by its products and services, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is shaping India’s future ahead of time by harnessing new tech capabilities. Besides Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) and Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), HAL is known for its Light Combat Aicraft (LCA) Mk1 FOC aircraft and LCA Trainer along with futuristic programmes. In an interaction with TheNFAPost HAL Chairman and Managing Director R Madhavan expalins how the organisation is playing the system integrator model and has created a national aerospace ecosystem with the participation of approximately 140 design agencies and 100+ production agencies along with ore than 200 Indian companies including MSMEs and startups.
1. What are some of the futuristic programmes underway at HAL?
On the fixed wing manned aircraft front, the major programmes are LCA Mk1A, HTT-40, LCA Mk2, Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) and TEDBF (Twin Engine Deck Based Fighter). On the unmanned air vehicle front, the major programmes include CATS Warrior, HAPS (High Altitude Pseudo Satellite), conversion of Kiran aircraft for an unmanned role etc.
On the rotary platform, the major programmes include IMRH, DBMRH (Deck Based Multi Role Helicopter), ALH Upgrade for carrieroperations, LUH, LCH and Rotary UAV. Design and development of HTFE-25 and HTSE-1200 are two programmes that HAL has undertaken towards engine design for fixed wing and rotary wing platform respectively. HAL also has several upgrade programmes like avionic supgrade for AVRO, engine replacement of Avro, conversion of Do-228 for amphibian role and development of Do-228 with hydrogen–powered electric engine etc.
2. Please provide an update on the Tejas Mkl and Mk-lA programmes?
Currently, HAL is undertaking the production of LCA Mk1 FOC aircraft and LCA Trainer. 15 LCA Mk1 FOC fighters have already been produced so far and production of balance 1 fighter aircraft and 8 trainers are under progress. The LCA Tejas Mk1A is an upgraded version of Mk1 with AESA radar, EW suite, BVR missile capabilities and various maintenance improvements.
The contract for 83 LCA Mk1A was signed during Aero India 2021. Currently, design & development activities of LCA Mk1A are under progress.
3. Who are the major industry partners for the Tejas programme’?
Production of LCA Tejas programme follows the system integrator model and has created a national aerospace ecosystem with the participation of approximately 140 design agencies and 100+ production agencies which encompasses all the facets of aircraft design and manufacturing. More than 200 Indian companies including MSMEs are involved in tooling, ground support and handling equipment supplies for the programme. Larsen & Toubro, Apollo Computing Lab, Data Patterns, VEM Technologies, DTL, Alpha Tocol, TASL, BEL, BHEL, BDL, ECIL, ARDE, OPF Kanpur etc , are the major industry partners from India.
4. What steps is HAL taking to ensure greater private sector participation for its future aircraft and helicopter programmes?
HAL has collaborated with private companies for various projects. A significant amount of the workload has been sourced through private companies/MSMEs across India. HAL has developed multiple vendors including MSMEs for manufacturing of parts and assemblies across India. These vendors have upgraded themselves to aerospace industry standards and have become a part of aerospace manufacturing ecosystem in India.
Some of them have been able to graduate to be part of the global supply chain as well. Private industries are encouraged to develop new / alternate materials, LRUs, processes, and establish manufacturing plants without compromising on quality and safety aspects.
Many of the avionics, electrical & mechanical system which are flying in our platforms have been designed and developed by private vendors. It is HAL’s vision that private industries graduate from being mere detail parts suppliers to long-term business partners capable of supplying sub-assemblies and major assemblies.
A case in point is LCA wherein major structural assemblies (front fuselage, center fuselage & rear fuselage) and the wing assemblies are supplied by private sector companies. HAL is closely handholding the private manufacturing partners in the country particularly MSMEs and nurturing them to graduate as supply chain partners thereby broadening the aerospace ecosystem in the country on a continuous basis.
The R&D centres of HAL outsource the development of LRUs to various qualified private companies. In LUH, for example, the smart cockpit display system, standby displays, control panels, lighted panels, armour panels, fire detection box, lubricating pumps, etc. have been designed, developed and manufactured by private vendors. Although the true indigenous content in LRUs is quite modest at present due to the limited semiconductor/electronic components manufacturing capability in India, the situation is expected to improve in future as the government has identified electronics manufacturing as a priority area.
Going forward, HAL intends to expand the vendor engagement in the detail design stage itself. In such a scenario, the vendors will do the detail design under HAL supervision, develop the necessary tooling on their own and then supply the major assemblies. In this model, it is expected that a major part of the upfront investment will be put up by the vendor as a risk-sharing partner and the investment will be amortized over the production run.
HAL has been actively partnering with start-ups and private companies to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces. Presently, HAL is projecting several requirements to start-ups/MSMEs/individual entrepreneurs through iDEX-DIO forum supporting the Atmanirbhar Bharat vision for their involvement in the aerospace sector.
HAL is very closely working with a start-up to realise some of the elements of CATS (Combat Air Teaming System). It is a futuristic concept where manned and unmanned aerial vehicles work hand-in-hand to achieve missions deep inside the enemy territory.
As the country acquires more and more indigenous platforms, as part of the Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign, the associated ecosystem of manufacturing and ROH industry partners will be automatically benefitted. Like the recent approval of 83 LCA Mk1A acquisition, which is going to be a game changer for the indigenous industry, there are a slew of indigenous products from HAL like LCA variants, LCH, LUH, HTT-40, etc.
Moreover, with the thrust of our defence services on indigenous options, private industries and aerospace manufacturing ecosystem will be favourably impacted.
5. What are the developments related to the LCH and LUH?
Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) post 1999 Kargil war, the need to have an effective helicopter weapons platform to deliver precision strikes at high altitude was felt by IAF. LCH is 5.8 ton class dedicated combat helicopter designed and developed indigenously for the first time in India. LCH is the only attack helicopter in the world which can land and take-off at an altitude of 5000 m (16400 ft) with considerable load of weapons and fuel, meeting the specific requirements of Indian Armed Forces.
LCH incorporates a number of stealth features such as reduced radar and infra-red signatures and crashworthy landing gear for better survivability. The roles include destruction of enemy air defence, counter insurgency, search and rescue, anti-tank, counter surface force operations etc. Extensive flight testing has been carried out on four technology demonstrators towards performance, handling qualities and system checks. Flight testing was carried out at various altitudes – from sea level to high altitudes of the Siachen range and at extreme cold weather, hot weather conditions and in desert region.
Integration of mission sensors such as electro optical System, helmet mounted display system, solid state data & video recorder and weapon systems such as turret gun, rocket and air to air missile system have been carried out and weapon firing trials are completed. Initial operational clearance (IOC) for LCH LSP for IAF was accorded in August, 2017 and IOC for Indian Army was received in February 2019. LCH is a truly ‘Make in India’ product built with private industry participation.
Production of LCH is envisaged through participation of public sector and private sector partners resulting in an eco-system for manufacturing. More than 250 vendors are involved in manufacturing of components, assemblies, fixtures, tools and test equipment and preparation of technical documentations apart from 70 vendors involved in indigenization of various items.
In November 2021, Prime Minister handed over HAL-produced indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) to IAF during the “Rashtriya Raksha Samarpan Parv” celebrations held in Jhansi to mark the 75th year of Indian’s Independence, symbolising the self-reliance and technological capability of the country in the rotary segment.
HAL received the contract for 15 LCH on March 30, 2022. However, previously HAL had proactively initiated advance action towards launching the production activities of 15 LCH LSPs with internal funding. So far, HAL has produced nine LCH Light Utility Helicopter.
Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a 3-ton class new generation single engine helicopter indigenously designed and developed by Rotary Wing Research and Design Centre (RWR&DC) of HAL with features suitable for operations in the diverse operating conditions unique to India.
The LUH will replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah / Chetak helicopters operated by the services. LUH is powered by a single turbo shaft engine Ardiden 1U from Safran Helicopter Engine (SHE), France with adequate power margins to accomplish high altitude missions in the Himalayas with ease.
LUH is equipped with smart cockpit display system (Glass Cockpit), state-of-the-art HUMS (Health & Usage Monitoring System) and is designed for various utility and armed roles. Some of the key features of LUH are its composite airframe with crashworthy features.
The main and tail rotor blades are made out of composite material for excellent damage tolerance capability. The hinge-less rotor system ensures high agility and manoeuvrability of the helicopter. The LUH has a spacious cabin ensuring enough room for troop transport up to six troops or two stretchers with a medical attendant or large volume internal cargo. It has state-of-the-art avionics suite with fully integrated smart multi-functional displays and indigenously developed application software.
The LUH is capable of night flying. It has a modern engine with FADEC and ToT for manufacturing and ROH. The dual redundancy in several systems also ensures a high level of safety. In addition to meeting the requirements of the armed forces, LUH is designed to provide excellent performance during high altitude operations and with growth potential to accommodate additional equipment in future, based on emerging needs. These features make LUH stand out in comparison to other contemporary helicopters in its class.
All certification activities involving ground testing, ground test vehicle endurance runs, system testing, sea level trials, hot weather trials, cold weather trials and hot weather-high altitude trials have been completed.
The initial operational clearance (IOC) of LUH for IAF was issued in February 2020. The IOC of LUH for Indian Army was issued in February 2021. The RFP for 12 LUH was received on May 13, 2022 and response to RFP was submitted by HAL on July 7, 2022.
HAL has commenced production activities for LUH Limited Series Production (LSP) proactively based on a letter of intent for production and supply of LUH LSPs to Army and Air Force in December 2021.
The first LSP helicopter has been produced. HAL is confident of meeting Government of India’s expectations and will put its best foot forward to meet the customer demands and contribute to Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
6. When will the new helicopter factory in Tumakuru start operations?
New Helicopter Factory, Tumakuru of HAL is in place, with the completion of stage 1 and stage 2 infrastructure facilities in March 2022. The facility is set to take up manufacture of LUH and other future platforms and has an initial capacity of 30 helicopters per annum, which will be suitably augmented based on order availability.
7. When does HAL expect to complete certification of the HTT-40?
HTT-40 has completed all the developmental flight testing. The customer evaluation flights were also completed and the aircraft meets all the requirements. Provisional clearance for airworthiness obtained.
8. What is the road map for the HJT-36 Sitara IJT?
Aviation platform development involves technical challenges especially in spin clearance. HAL undertook major modifications on the aircraft to bring its spin characteristics to the desired level. Post modifications, flight testing has resumed and in January 2022, HJT-36 demonstrated its ability to carry out six turn spins to both sides. We have plans to complete the remaining activities to achieve the certification at the earliest.
9. What is the status of the Hawk and Su-30 MKI production lines at present?
The production lines established for Hawk AJT are currently available and being utilised for providing spare support to IAF/ IN as per their requirements. Su-30 MKI Su-30 MKI aircraft constitutes largest fleet of IAF and the facilities were established for production of Su-30MKI aircraft, its engine and aggregates at five geographic allocations i.e. at Nashik, Koraput, Lucknow, Korwa and Hyderabad.
HAL has completed production of 222 Su-30MKI aircraft as per IAF orders. These production facilities are now being utilised to fulfil the operational requirements of IAF for production of additional engines, aggregates and on-board equipment which are required to be replaced over the total life cycle of Su-30 MKI aircraft.
The production-range items required for repair and overhaul of Su-30MKI aircraft, Al-31 FP Engine, rotable repairs and RMSO requirements of IAF, are also being manufactured using these facilities.
Further to meet the increased IAF requirement, enhancement of Su-30MKI ROH facilities is under progress. The existing facilities for Su-30MKI Aircraft manufacturing are also being utilised for this ROH enhancement. Simultaneously, various indigenous modifications and weapon integration schemes are being developed and incorporated to increase the operational capability of Su-30MKI aircraft.
Further, HAL is pursuing with IAF for additional production orders for 12 Su-30 MKI Aircraft. Recently HAL has also received RFP for supply of additional 240 Nos of AL-31FP engines for Su-30MKI.
The Nashik division has been given the responsibility to produce indigenously designed and developed HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft for IAF. Establishment of production line for the LCA-Wing Assembly is also under progress at Nashik.
Additionally other business like Civil MRO are also being pursued aggressively by the Nashik Division.
10. What is the update on HAL’s development of gas turbine engines’?
HAL has successfully received certification for four of its engines in the small and starter engine category for the first time in the country. viz. 4 kN thrust turbojet engine (PTAE-7) used on Pilotless Target Aircraft (PTA), 110 kW power turbo shaft engine (GTSU-110) for starting the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) engine and its upgrade GTSU-110M2 and 60 kW starter generator engine for starting AI-20D engine ofAn-32 aircraft.
Air Turbine starter for starting Adour-804 and Adour-811 engine has been indigenously designed, developed, certified and 40+ units have been supplied to IAF. Technology demonstrator units of air producer engine for starting Adour-811 and 871 engines of Jaguar and Hawk aircraft, auxiliary power unit for FGFA class aircraft have been built and are in various stages of evaluation.
The indigenous PTAE-7engine is being modified to suit to the requirements of CATS-W and CATS-H applications. Upgraded GTSU/JFS starter engine with 135 kW power for LCA-Mk-IIalso is in prototype manufacturing stage.
HAL is trying to provide one stop solution for all starter engines indigenously. Auxiliary power unit and air turbine starter for AMCA are also in the pipeline. Our prestigious development projects in medium category engines are Hindustan Turbo Fan engine (HTFE-25) of 25 kN thrust for trainer aircraft, UAVs and Hindustan Turbo Shaft engine (HTSE-1200) of shaft power rating which can power light and medium weight helicopters (3.5 to 6.5 tonnes in single/ twin engine configuration).
Significant progress has been made with successful trial runs of core and jet engines up to 100% rpm. Core engine of HTFE-25 and Jet mode engine of HTSE-1200 have been tested for performance at Sea Level and at 3.5 km altitude. The same have been tested for high altitudes at 4.5 and 5.8 km.
Technology demonstrator engines of HTFE-25 full engine and HTSE-1200 power mode engine have been built and are at various phases of testing. HAL is confident of achieving the targeted design parameters and productionising these engines as planned.
11. HAL is also said to be working on RUAVs, how is this progressing?
HAL’s Rotary Wing Research and Development Centre (RWR&DC) is developing a 200 kg RUAV to meet the challenging requirements of the Indian Army for high altitude applications. Most RUAVs presently available and operational in India are multi-rotor UAVs which are usually not suitable for applications requiring greater payload capacity, longer range and endurance in high altitude areas.
The primary mission of the RUAV is transportation of cargo to and from high altitude forward bases ofthe Indian Army. The RUAV in this mission would act as an autonomous aero mule capable of carrying out the intended mission based on pre-programmed set of instructions.
The RUAV can operate from high altitudes, while carrying a payload of 20-30 kg to a distance of about 50 kms. The RUAV can been employed as a communications relay or it could be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) with the integration of ISR mission payloads.
A high degree ofautomation has been built into the operational concept of the RUAV to ensure that the system can be operated by crew with limited skills and training. Fault tolerance and redundancy of critical on-board systems provide a high degree of survivability in adverse operational conditions.
As of now, the detailed design phase of the RUAV project has been completed. Detailed drawings of parts, sub-assemblies and assemblies were released for production and the first prototype is being assembled. All major systems and Bought out Items (BOI) have been finalised and purchase orders for many of these have already been placed.
The first prototype (ground test vehicle) is scheduled to be ready for testing before the end of this year and three subsequent prototypes have been planned for testing and certification of the RUAV.
