HAL to make flight control systems in Hyderabad

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Indian state-run defence behemoth Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Thursday said it has tied up with French aerospace firm Sagem to manufacture automatic flight control systems and sensors at Hyderabad.

"HAL has entered into a contract with Sagem of Safran group at the Paris air show for technology transfer to set up the production facility for flight control systems and sensors at our Hyderabad division," the company said in a statement here.

The new set-up will also have a maintenance facility for the avionics of the company's advanced light helicopter (ALH) and intermediate jet trainer (IJT) platforms.

The company hopes to use the facility for fitting the avionic systems on the light combat helicopter (LCH) and light utility helicopter (LUH), whose prototypes are under design and development.

The new facility is expected to be commissioned by 2015.

Participating in the week-long 50th edition of the air show at Le Bourget airport, HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi met chief executive Eric Trappier of the French aircraft maker Dassault Aviation and reviewed the status of various projects underway between the two aerospace majors.

Dassault bagged the multi-billion dollar deal to sell 126 medium multirole combat aircraft Rafale to the Indian Air Force (IAF), which plans to induct them in its frontline fleet in place of the ageing MiG-27 fighters of the former Soviet Union.

As part of the deal, HAL will manufacture 108 aircraft under licensed production, with 30 percent offset benefits to Indian aerospace industry, while Dassault will supply 18 Rafales in fly-away condition.

The city-based HAL is also upgrading Dassault's 51 Mirage 2000 fighters, which are in the IAF fleet to extend their life by another two decades.

Other French aerospace firms such as Thales and MBDA also supply a range of equipment, including avionics, radars, missiles and electronic warfare systems to the IAF.