On May 30, 2025, VEM Technologies turned over the first center fuselage assembly for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) TEJAS MK-1A to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). This was a significant milestone for India’s domestic defense manufacturing industry.
Among other high-ranking officials, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar and HAL’s Chairman & Managing Director Dr. DK Sunil attended this event, which was hosted at VEM Technologies’ Hyderabad location.
Notably, this is the first time a private Indian company has produced and delivered a major TEJAS sub-assembly, highlighting a dramatic change in the defense industrial ecosystem toward increased private sector involvement and independence.
The center fuselage, a crucial structural element of the aircraft, was manufactured by VEM Technologies employing a semi-monocoque design that combines composite materials made of carbon fiber and metal.
At every stage of production, HAL’s quality assurance teams conducted thorough quality inspections on all 1,595 precision-engineered components that make up the assembly. The Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) also granted permissions to the final assembly, guaranteeing adherence to strict military aviation regulations. This painstaking procedure demonstrates the Indian private sector’s increasing capacity to satisfy the demanding requirements of sophisticated aerospace manufacturing.
The TEJAS MK-1A, which has major enhancements like an AESA radar, sophisticated avionics, and improved combat capability, is expected to be produced more quickly because to the collaboration between HAL and VEM Technologies.
Secretary Sanjeev Kumar underlined that this partnership, in addition to the wider participation of public and private sector entities, has allowed India to achieve a significant rise in defence exports and a growth rate of almost 10% per year in defence manufacturing. He emphasized that the ability to produce and deliver essential spare parts locally is essential for national security and sovereignty, as it reduces reliance on foreign suppliers in the face of global supply chain uncertainty.
A fourth production line for the MK-1A variant has been established to support the current lines in HAL-Bangalore and HAL-Nashik, as a result of the TEJAS program’s rapid expansion of Tier 1 and MSME suppliers, as underlined by HAL’s CMD, Dr. DK Sunil. It is anticipated that this expansion will boost the TEJAS’s production rate, guaranteeing on-time delivery to the Indian Air Force and assisting with the force’s modernization plan.
By supplying commercial partners with essential inputs like jigs, fixtures, tools, and technical know-how, HAL’s position as a facilitator has been crucial in creating a strong national aerospace ecosystem. Consequently, firms such as L&T, Alpha Tocol, TATA Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), VEM Technologies, and Lakshmi Machine Works (LMW) are now able to manufacture intricate sub-assemblies, such as rear fuselages, wings, fins, rudders, pylons, fuel drop tanks, center fuselages, and air intakes.
As evidence of the growing integration of private sector contributions into the production process, the TEJAS Division has already received a number of structural modules in the MK-1A design, including air intake assemblies, rear fuselage assemblies, loom assemblies, and fin and rudder assemblies. In order to strengthen its own capabilities and guarantee a robust supply chain, HAL intends to expand this outsourcing approach to next projects by utilizing the knowledge of the Indian sector.
HAL continues to spearhead indigenization initiatives in the aerospace and defense industries in keeping with the goal of Aatmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India). Through its partnerships with more than 6,300 Indian suppliers, including 2,448 MSMEs, the organization supports a strong domestic supply chain and thousands of skilled jobs.
HAL has placed orders with Indian vendors totaling ₹13,763 crore in the previous three years alone. The company is also actively working to indigenize crucial components and sophisticated aircraft systems across platforms. This all-encompassing strategy positions India as a major player in the global aircraft industry while simultaneously bolstering the nation’s defense industrial base.
