First rear fuselage for LCA Mk1A manufactured by Indian private sector handed over to HAL

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is presented with a memento from HAL CMD D.K. Sunil at a ceremony to handover the first rear fuselage for LCA MK1A in Bengaluru on March 9, 2025. Photo: PIB via ANI

In a first, the rear fuselage for the light combat aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk1A, manufactured by Alpha Tocol Engineering Services Private Limited, a private sector enterprise, was handed over to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru on Sunday (March 9, 2025).

Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was present on the occasion, termed the handing over as a milestone in the historic journey of India’s defence manufacturing sector.

“The ceremony is a testimony to India’s progress towards aatmanirbharta (self-reliance) in defence, and the government’s commitment towards enhanced public-private partnership,” Mr. Singh said.

A fuselage is part of the main body of the aircraft which holds the pilot, passengers and cargo, while the rear fuselage supports the tail section and its associated components.

HAL had placed orders with various Indian private companies, including Larsen & Toubro Limited, Alpha Tocol Engineering Services Private Limited, Tata Advanced Systems Limited, VEM Technologies Private Limited, and Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) Limited for supplying major modules for a contract involving 83 LCA Mk1A.

HAL has already manufactured 12 LCA MK1A rear fuselages, which are on the aircraft in the manufacturing line. With this supply, a major structure module produced by an Indian private partner will be integrated into the LCA Mk1A aircraft, enabling HAL to meet additional delivery commitments for the Indian Air Force from 2025-26 onwards.

Minister visits IAM

Mr. Singh visited the Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM), the first Defence Minister to do so.

He was briefed about the IAM’s unique role in pilot training, medical evaluation, and aeromedical research.

He also inspected the dynamic flight simulator, and high performance human centrifuge used for high-G training of fighter pilots, and the spatial disorientation simulator for training the pilots of the Armed Forces to avert the risk of spatial disorientation in flight.

At the IAM, he also launched the ‘Indian Council of Medical Research Extramural Research Project: Centre for Advanced Research’. The project is titled ‘Space Psychology: Selection and Behavioural Health Training of Astronauts and Astronaut Designates for Indian Space Missions’.

“From the defence perspective, space has emerged as a major domain in warfare. We have taken a step forward in this direction and mastered the most advanced technologies such as anti-satellite [technology].

India has also become the fastest growing aviation market in the world. As we are touching new heights in space, we need to explore more possibilities in aerospace medicine. There is a need for increased R&D (research and development) as research in any high-end complex technology provides benefits to many fields,” Mr. Singh said.