Tag Archives: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd.

Pictures: Aero India 2019 opens with missing man flypast, B-52, A330neo and more

Aero India 2019 opened today at Yelahanka Air Force Station. The show which was inaugurated by the defence minister of India began with a series of flypasts, one of which was a missing man formation to commemorate Wing Commander Sahil Gandhi, the pilot who lost his life in the Surya Kiran crash yesterday. Innugural Flypast The show began with a …

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Safran and HAL open Helicopter Engines MRO in Goa

Indian Defense Minister Mohan Parrikar inaugurates the HE MRO.

The Indian Defense Minister, Manohar Parrikar inaugurated Helicopter Engines MRO Pvt. Limited (HE-MRO), a Joint Venture of Safran and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), in Goa The maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) facility will offer services for Safran TM333 and HAL Shakti (a HAL co-development of the Safran Ardiden 1H1) engines installed on HAL-built helicopters from a 1,000 square metre office …

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HAL competes first flight of Light Utility Helicopter

First flight of the HAL Light Utility Helicopter. HAL Image.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has completed the first flight if it’s new Light Utility Helicopter (LUH). The flight is reported to have lasted about 15 minutes and marks the commencement of the aircraft’s flight test program. The LUH is powered by Safran’s Ardiden 1U engine and is intended to replace the Indian air force’s aging Chetak and Cheetah fleet. It …

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Aero India 2015: What to expect this time?

With Aero India 2015 kicking off this week, many are wondering what is in store for this edition on “Asia’s Premier Airshow”. Here’s the rundown of what to expect out of this year’s airshow. Six Aerobatic display teams This edition of Aero India will see six aerobatic teams display their flying prowess. The displays will include the Scandinavian Air Show …

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Airbus and Tatas team up to bid for IAF HS-748 Avro replacement tender

Airbus C295 military medium lift transport. Airbus image.

Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) and Tata Advanced Systems (TASL) have teamed up and submitted a joint bid for the Airbus C295 medium transporter in response to the Indian Air Force´s plan to replace 56 HS748 Avro aircraft in the force’s air transport fleet. In 2012, India had taken, what was considered an audacious decision to replace the ageing HS-748 …

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Plane Spotting: Sarang aerobatic helicopter team

In this week’s plane spotting, we have the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Sarang Aerobatic team. The Sarang Aerobatic team is the evolution of the erstwhile Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) evaluation flight team which was formed at Aircraft and System Testing Establishment (ASTE), Bangalore, in March 2002. After the completion of field trials of the ALH, the team was tasked …

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Plane spotting: Helicopters of the Indian Air Force

In this week’s of plane spotting, we have made a compilation of some of the helicopters of the Indian Air Force (IAF). We have also included some rare cockpit photos of some of these whirlybirds. Let’s start with the workhorse of the Indian Air Force, the Mil Mi-8. The Mi-8 is the IAF’s primary medium transport helicopter. It was first …

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Exclusive photos: First plane spotting pictures of Indian Air Force Boeing C-17 from India

Yesterday after months of near misses, we finally managed to get the first independent photos from India, of the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) new Boeing C-17 Globemaster III; and it was right here in Bangalore. In June 2009, the Indian Air force (IAF) selected the C-17 to fulfil its Very Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft requirement to replace it’s ageing Ilyushin IL-76 (Gajraj) …

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Photo Essay: Aero India 2013 – Inauguration Day images

The ninth edition of Aero India opened late and missing a few performers, notably the Russian Knights air display team, which have still not reached the show by the end of the second day. A photo essay on some of the performers on the first day. A Dassault Rafale B takes off during the inaugural ceremony at Aero India 2013. …

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HAL Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) HJT-36 Sitara crashes near Bangalore

A prototype of the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Intermediate Jet Trainer HJT-36 Sitara serial number S-3466 crashed near Krishnagiri about 80km (50mi) south-east of Bangalore around 15:10 local (09:40 UTC). HAL HJT-36 Intermediate Jet Trainer S-3466 at Aero India 2011. Photo by Vedant Agarwal. Both pilots Wg Cdr. Patra and Mathur (rank not sure) ejected safely, though one of them has …

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India and Russia sign fifth generation fighter aircraft design contract

India’s Ministry of Defence controlled Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) and Russia’s Rosoboronexport and Sukhoi signed a contract todday for the preliminary design of the Indo-Russian Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA). The FGFA aircraft to be jointly developed is termed Perspective Multi-role Fighter (PMF). The PMF draws upon the basic structural and system design of the Russian FGFA Technology Demonstrator PAK-FA …

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HAL Chetak helicopter crashes, pilots survive, aircraft badly damaged

A Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) Chetak helicopter registration VT-EIV belonging to the HAL Rotary Wing Academy crashed earlier this morning around 0900 (0330Z) while performing a training flight at the HAL airport in Bangalore, India.Image courtesy WikipediaBangalore Aviation understands the aircraft was just commencing a routine training flight, and had lifted just about 15 ft in the air when it …

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Boeing delivers to US Navy first F/A-18 Super Hornet fitted with HAL made gun bay door

Last week on July 20, Boeing [NYSE: BA], delivered to the U.S. Navy the first F/A-18 Super Hornet featuring a gun bay door manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) based in Bangalore, India. F/A-18 featuring HAL made gun bay door. Click on image for a high resolution view. These gun bay doors are the product of the first military contract …

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Photo essay: Transit of Singapore Air Force elite 145 squadron F-16s, KC-135R, C-130H at Bangalore

On Monday evening an entire contingent of the elite 145 squadron of the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) touched down at Bangalore’s HAL airport. The 145 Squadron “Hornet” is a strike fighter squadron of the RSAF currently based at the new airbase Changi Airbase (East) which to the east of Singapore Changi Airport. With hornets as their motif and …

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Eurofighter Typoons arrive in Bangalore for Indian Air Force MMRCA flight testing

Two Eurofighter Typhoons 30-24 and 30-42 accompanied by their Airbus A310-304 MRTT arrived at Bangalore’s HAL airport Thursday, February 18th afternoon at 15:40 (10:10Z). The three planes flew in over the airport in formation, and then peeled right. Great formation flying by all three. One Typhoon did a low pass over runway 09 to inspect and familiarise, after which the …

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Hindustan Aeronautics to produce Boeing 777 flaperons in Bangalore

Boeing and Bangalore based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) signed an agreement recently for the production of flaperons for use on Boeing’s 777 series commercial jetliner. The work will be performed in HAL’s Bangalore complex. The 777 flaperons, a highly complex composite assembly is instrumental in controlling the airplane’s maneuverability in flight. Referred to as a “control surface” flaperons work both …

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Flight Images: Antonov An124-100 takes five advanced light helicopters from Bangalore

At the start of Aero India in early February, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., announced it would make delivery of the first five of the Advanced Light Helicopters sold to the Ecuadorian Air Force using the behemoth Antonov An-124-100. On the night of March 18th the giant transporter came to the HAL airport to load up. I managed to catch her departure …

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Tejas Light Combat Aircraft undergoing advanced weapon testing

India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is carrying out a two-week second phase weapon testing trials of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas at an Air Force base in the north-western sector. As per DRDO officials “The focus of the current phase of testing is safe separation and accuracy of weapon delivery. The results from the tests would validate …

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The heart of Aero India 2009

The Aero India 2009 continues to draw large crowds, and for today and tomorrow, a huge crush of footfalls is expected. Aerial displays in the morning and afternoon sessions are as spectacular and breathtaking as in any major air show held worldwide. While the public focusses on the magnificent flying machines and their daredevil pilots, they remain blissfully unaware of …

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HAL to deliver Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter to Ecuador at Aero India

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), is readying to hand over its first competitively won contract of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), the Dhruv. HAL won an order for 7 helicopters from Ecuador beating out global heavyweights like Eurocopter, on performance and and a price of just $7 million per helicopter. Dhruv ALH in peacock livery of the Indian Air Force Sarang …

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