The backbone of India’s defense lineup and the primary company to support India in creating its massive Air Force and is now one of the main powers in the world is HAL, which is also called Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Established in the year 1940, this public sector company has provided India with various new-age defence weapons and fighter jets.
The newest and most advanced of it is the Tejas fighter jet which is said to be a 4.5 generation fighter jet and made under the “Made in India” initiative. In recent times, with the collaboration from the Russian government, the SU-30 MKi fighter jets have been in action with the Indian Air Force, and HAL has been taking primary action to make the most of these fighter jets.
The HAL Archives: Technologies that uplifted India’s Defense system
The company has collaborated with Boeing and Dassault Aviation, which is known to be one of the most advanced companies in the aviation sector, which also provides the company with valuable resources. In 1942, HAL started producing aircraft under license for the Indian Air Force. These aircraft included the Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, and Vultee A-31 Vengeance.
HAL now has four production sites in India, with eleven scientific and technological (R&D) centres and twenty-one manufacturing divisions. The HAL has aircraft such as HAWK LCA, and their newest invention is the Tejas, which is a 4.5 generation fighter jet; they also have SU-30 MKI, which is a 4th gen fighter jet that has lethal effects in wars. Their list of helicopters includes the DHRUV, RUDRA, CHETAK, LANCER, LCH, LUH and CHEETAL, which is said to be one of the lethal line-ups in the Air Force defence unit.
Tejas fighter jet the Superpower of Indian Air force: Presented by HAL
LCA Tejas flew for the first time in 2001, and the IAF started using it in 2015. ‘Tejas’ was the official name given to the aircraft in 2003. As of right now, Tejas is the lightest and smallest supersonic combat aircraft in its class. After the HF-24 Marut, Tejas is another supersonic combat aircraft designed by HAL. This fighter jet is 4.5 generation with lethal combat maneuvers in the air battle with any 5th generation fighter jet. The fighter jet can assist with the help of one pilot, or two can also assist it.
The jet has a length of 14.65 m and a wing span of 8.50 m. The max speed of this aircraft is Mach 1.8, and the range is said to be 3000 km. The aircraft holds a combat range of 1500 km, and it can withhold more than 9g of gravitational pull. It can also carry ammunition up to 6.5 tons and four bombs at the same time with laser-guided missiles and world-class avionics that can safeguard the aircraft from high-end radars.
Su-30 MKI: The Power formed with the collaboration of Sukhoi and HAL
Sukhoi, a Russian aircraft company, developed the Su-30MKI, a multirole, twinjet, two-seat fighter aircraft, and for the Indian Air Force, it is constructed under license from HAL. A highly functional twin-finned aircraft is the Su-30MKI, with high-strength aluminium alloys and titanium making up the airframe. Trouser fairings are installed on the intakes of the engine ramps and nacelles to create a smooth, continuous profile between them and the tail beams. The engine that has been used is the AL-41F-1S, which generates a thrust of 142.2 Kn.
This aircraft can reach a speed of 2120 kph, which is Mach 1.7 and is almost double the speed of sound. Hence, this aircraft also falls under the 4.5 generation fighter jets, and the length is 21.935 m with a wing span of 14.7 m. This lethal machine is created to tackle critical manoeuvres and also to give close competition to the F-16s that have similar specifications. BrahMos and Astra missiles are usually given to this aircraft for air combats, and it can carry up to 8,000 kg of payload can be carried by it, along with up to 6 air-to-air missiles, six guided air-to-surface missiles, six laser-guided bombs, 8,500-kg cluster bombs, and 80 unguided rockets.
