India’s fighter jet first MK 1A fuselage handed over to HAL

In a significant milestone for India’s indigenous defense manufacturing, Hyderabad-based VEM Technologies has delivered the first center fuselage (CF) assembly for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The handover ceremony took place in Hyderabad and was attended by key defense officials, including Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary of Defence Production, and DK Sunil, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL.

This delivery marks the establishment of a fourth production line for the LCA Mk1A, complementing the existing lines in Bengaluru and Nashik. The CF assembly was certified defect-free by the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (AQA), led by Sanjay Chawla.

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

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