Hindustan Aeronautics launches third assembly line of Tejas jets
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane on Friday inaugurated a third production line for the Tejas light combat aircraft (LCA) in Bengaluru.
Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) currently operates two LCA assembly lines in Bengaluru, which allow it to churn out 16 Tejas fighters per year.
“The new line will enable the company to enhance Tejas Mark 1 A production capacity from 16 to 24 aircraft per year,” said C B Ananthakrishnan, HAL’s chairman and managing director.
With the Indian Air Force (IAF) having placed orders on HAL for 40 Tejas Mark 1 and 83 Tejas Mark 1A fighters, it is essential to build these quickly so that the Tejas assembly lines are free for building six squadrons of Tejas Mark 2 aircraft.
