New Delhi [India], May 30 (ANI): In a boost to India's indigenous defence manufacturing capabilities, the first centre fuselage assembly for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A was handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) by VEM Technologies in Hyderabad on May 30, the Ministry of Defence said in a release on Friday.

The handover took place in the presence of Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of HAL, Dr DK Sunil.

According to the release, this marks the first time a major sub-assembly for the LCA Tejas has been manufactured by a private Indian company.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar hailed the partnership between HAL and VEM Technologies for accelerating the production of LCA Mk 1A.

He said that defence production and exports are growing significantly, at about 10 per cent annually.

This would not have been possible without the support of industries and Public Sector Units like HAL. The country's security and sovereignty are paramount and cannot be achieved without its own manufacturing and supply of spare parts, which could meet the requirements of the Armed Forces.

CMD, HAL, acknowledged the rapid growth of Tier 1 and MSME suppliers in the production of the LCA Tejas.

The handover marked a significant milestone in establishing a fourth production line for the LCA Mk1A, in addition to the two existing lines in HAL-Bengaluru and one in HAL-Nashik.

He assured that with major sub-assemblies underway, HAL will increase the production of the LCA aircraft and ensure timely deliveries to the Indian Air Force.

HAL has built a national aerospace ecosystem by closely supporting private partners and providing critical inputs such as jigs, fixtures, tools, and technical know-how.

This has enabled companies like L&T, Alpha Tocol, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), VEM Technologies, and Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) to produce complex sub-assemblies such as centre fuselages, fuel drop tanks, pylons, rear fuselages, wings, fins, rudders, and air intakes.

The LCA Tejas Division has already received structural modules of air intake assemblies, rear fuselage assemblies, loom assemblies, and fin and rudder assemblies in the Mk1A configuration. HAL plans to extend this outsourcing model to future projects, reinforcing its in-house capacity with the expertise of Indian industry.

In line with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, HAL continues to drive indigenisation efforts in the aerospace and defence sector.

HAL has partnered with over 6,300 Indian vendors, including 2,448 MSMEs, supporting thousands of skilled jobs and contributing to a robust domestic supply chain.

In the last three years, HAL has placed orders worth Rs 13,763 crore with Indian vendors and is actively pursuing the indigenisation of complex aircraft systems and critical components across platforms. (ANI)