New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has raised serious concerns over persistent delays at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), directing the state-owned aerospace and defence manufacturer to set achievable project timelines and focus on timely delivery of strategic assets.
The feedback was conveyed during a high-level review meeting on the progress of ongoing programmes at HAL, where the Defence Minister pointed out that several flagship projects had slipped past their原定 completion dates multiple times, raising questions about planning and execution efficiency within the organisation.
According to sources familiar with the matter, Singh stressed that while ambition is important, timeline commitments must be grounded in reality rather than presented as aspirational targets that routinely slip. The Minister reportedly asked HAL leadership to reassess all major projects, identify bottlenecks, and revise schedules based on actual ground conditions rather than optimistic assumptions.
HAL, one of India's oldest and largest defence public sector undertakings, has in recent years come under scrutiny for delays across several critical programmes including the Hawk training aircraft upgrade, Dhruv helicopter production batches, and the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. These delays have had downstream impacts on the Indian Air Force's operational readiness and fleet modernisation plans.
The Defence Minister also highlighted the importance of indigenisation in defence manufacturing, noting that HAL plays a central role in achieving the government's target of reducing dependency on imported weapons and equipment. However, he warned that indigenisation goals would remain unfulfilled if delivery timelines continued to be missed consistently.
Officials noted that Singh also called for stronger coordination between HAL, the armed forces, and the Ministry of Defence to ensure that design approvals, testing schedules, and production milestones are better synchronised. Several proposals for streamlining internal decision-making processes were reportedly discussed.
HAL management has since been directed to submit revised project schedules within a stipulated timeframe, with regular progress reviews expected going forward. The tone from the Defence Ministry signals a shift toward greater accountability for PSUs responsible for national security-critical production.
Analysts say the intervention reflects the government's broader push to make Indian defence industries more efficient and reliable, especially as India seeks to position itself as a global manufacturing hub under the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative.
