Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) will invest Rs. 25,000 crore in the next ten years to enhance its aircraft building capabilities and related development, Chairman Ashok Mayak said here on Friday.
Speaking to reporters at the event to mark 25 years of association between HAL and Honeywell International, Mr. Nayak said the defence sector was still a major customer and the collaboration with Honyewell was important in this context. The two companies were now developing aircraft for India’s ‘homeland security,’ including maritime patrolling of borders and observation of vital installations. Manufacture of engines for smaller aircraft would also be taken up.
Honeywell’s collaboration has extended to local joint manufacture of the turboprop engine, “Over 11,000 engines are now used on aircraft around the world. These engines will be make in India, according to Honeywell Vice-President (General Aviation) Rob Wilson.
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Honeywell, which earlier this year opened a $50-million research, development and engineering facility in Bangalore, to support the American company’s business, will establish a $-34 million technology centre for petrochemcial processing in Gurgaon, he said.
Honeywell has already supplied 225 engines for aircraft of the Indian Air Force, the Navy and the Coast Guard through HAL. Along with the defence market, there was increasing scope for business jets. HAL has taken all this into account while ordering 600 various engines ‘’ Mr Wilson said. On its part, HAL is busy with IAF’s requirements to upgrade its Jaguar fleet, developing a new Light Attack helicopter and stepping up products of the Advanced Light Helicopter, 90 of them already supplied, Mr. Nayak said. Development plans now included the multi-role combat aircraft and the fifth generation fighter aircraft. “We have a healthy order book of close to Rs. 55,000 crore,” Mr. Nayak added to Mr Wilson’s remark. Honeywell was closely involved in most of this development work.