Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd

About

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was initially known as Hindustan Aircraft Limited. It was established in 1940 in Bangalore by Walchand Hirachand in association with the Government of Mysore at the time. It commenced the manufacturing of Harlow Trainers, Curtiss Hawk Fighters, and Vultee Bomber Aircraft in partnership with the Intercontinental Aircraft Company of the USA. With the aim of manufacturing aircraft in India, the Ministry of Defence of the then Government of India soon became one of its shareholders and entirely took over its administrative control in 1951. Later, HAL became the first defence public sector undertaking to get the Maharatna status. The company now provides aircraft, civil aviation, helicopters, systems and software, engines, and more. Its testing is carried out in Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Lucknow, while Kanpur, Nashik, and Korapet house other HAL manufacturing sites. Additionally, its regional offices are spread over Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, London, and Moscow.