Bengaluru: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited(HAL) handed over Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) Twin Seater Trainers & HTT 40 Basic Trainer Aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited (PHL) in the presence of Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh and Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu in Bengaluru on September 18.
The handover marks an important milestone in the country’s self-reliance & defence indigenisation journey as the event would highlight the role being played by HAL and its industry partners in strengthening the domestic aerospace ecosystem. It would also demonstrate the industry’s expanding capability to design, develop and manufacture advanced platforms for both civil & military applications.
HAL hands over 2 LCA Tejas FOC Twin Seater Trainers & 3 HTT-40 Basic Trainers to IAF and 4 Dhruv NG helicopters to PHL in the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri @rajnathsingh & Civil Aviation Minister Shri @RamMNK. pic.twitter.com/McAHcuIihE
— Ministry of Defence, Government of India (@SpokespersonMoD) September 18, 2026
As per a statement by MoD, the Government has accorded high priority to promoting indigenous design, development and manufacturing in the aerospace & defence sectors. The induction of these platforms is another step towards strengthening the indigenous capabilities and reducing dependence on foreign sources.
Earlier Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh had said in Kochi that the Government is serving the nation with a special focus on fostering resilience, determination, compassion, innovation, strength, inclusive prosperity and a strong sense of national identity among citizens to realise the vision of Viksit Bharat@2047.
Addressing an event in Kochi, Keralam, on September 18, 2026, he asserted that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India is advancing on the path of development by drawing inspiration from India’s centuries-old values such as courage to persevere, security and protection of citizens, spirit of service, determination to achieve goals, compassion, inspiring future generations, strengthening national capabilities, and ensuring inclusive prosperity & global leadership.
Raksha Mantri highlighted that before 2014, India faced significant challenges such as corruption and misgovernance which had weakened the morale of the people, and the nation’s progress in the last 12 years has been shaped by its ability to face adversity with confidence and convert challenges into opportunities. “Over the last 12 years, the world has faced a pandemic such as COVID-19 and witnessed several wars, which have had a profound impact on the global economy. Despite global challenges, we are moving steadily on the path towards becoming a self-reliant and developed nation”, he said.
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh; Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar; Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Samir Kumar Sinha; CMD, HAL Shri Ravi K and other senior officials of Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Civil Aviation, IAF, PHL, regulatory agencies and stakeholders from the aerospace & defence sectors were present in the occasion.
