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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 NEW DELHI 000347 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/23/2020 
TAGS: PINS PREL EIND ETTC EAIR MCAP
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR ROEMER VISITS HINDUSTAN AERONAUTICS 
LIMITED FACTORY IN BENGALURU 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Timothy Roemer for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  SUMMARY: On the afternoon of February 18, 2010, I 
visited the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) factory in 
Bengaluru, along with staff from Embassy New Delhi and 
Consulate General Chennai. The level of access afforded to us 
on the factory floor during our visit was highly unusual and 
reflective of our vastly improving defense relationship. Our 
observations illustrate that while India's indigenous 
aviation industry remains two to three decades behind the 
United States and other western nations, HAL is making 
strides to modernize production and integrate into the global 
military and commercial aviation markets. END SUMMARY. 
 
The "Hawk" Soars 
------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) The first stop on our visit was the production line 
for the Hawk 132 jet trainer, a 1970s-era twin-seat British 
aircraft which is now being manufactured by HAL under license 
from BAE systems. HAL has been building these aircraft at the 
Bengaluru facility since 2008, and is in the middle of a 
production run of 82 Hawk aircraft to be used by the Indian 
Air Force and Navy as jet trainers. We saw about twenty 
aircraft in various stages of production, from bare wings to 
a nearly completed airframe. We were allowed to walk 
unhindered throughout the factory space, and were even 
invited on to a gantry to take a close look at some of the 
aircraft. 
 
¶3. (C)  The assembly work was being done almost entirely by 
hand, with no evidence of any automated production processes. 
Safety precautions appeared to be minimal, with many of the 
workers wearing short-sleeved shirts and no respiratory or 
eye protection or while they applied paint, sealant, or 
rivets. 
 
The "Jaguar" Roars 
------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) Leaving the Hawk factory floor, we continued to an 
assembly line for the Jaguar jet aircraft. The Jaguar was a 
joint development British-French 1960s strike fighter 
project. India imported 37 of these aircraft, and has built 
several dozen more under license. Both Britain and France 
retired their fleets as of 2007, but India is in the process 
of upgrading their current fleet of 89 aircraft at the HAL 
Bengaluru plant. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) United States defense contractor Honeywell is 
currently in competition with the UK-based Rolls Royce for a 
bid to provide the replacement engines for the Jaguar. 
Because there are no other U.S. based firms bidding on the 
contract, we have been advocating aggressively on behalf of 
Honeywell, and I stressed this on my visit to the Chairman of 
HAL. 
 
¶6. (SBU) We saw both the single-seat Jaguar IS and the dual 
seat Jaguar IB on the assembly line, both equipped with the 
distinctive over-wing pylons for air-to-air missiles. The 
dual-seat version, according to our hosts, was being built as 
a trainer aircraft. The single-seat version is an all-weather 
tactical strike aircraft. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Following the tour of the Jaguar production floor, 
we were shown a small display area highlighting HAL's 
ventures into the international commercial aviation sector. 
In addition to manufacturing satellite launch vehicles for 
India,s space program, HAL boasts contracts with Boeing for 
wheel assemblies and passenger doors for the 757 and 777 
aircraft, with Honeywell to produce the Honeywell TPE331 
turbo-prop engine, and with Airbus to produce passenger doors 
for the A320. 
 
And the "Dhruv" Shines 
 
NEW DELHI 00000347  002 OF 003 
 
 
--------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Our next stop on the tour was the construction bay 
where HAL's Dhruv (Hindi for "Pole Star") Advanced Light 
Helicopter (ALH) is assembled. The Dhruv is considered one of 
HAL's biggest successes. A mostly indigenous design, HAL 
launched the program in the 1980s with the assistance of the 
German aviation firm Messerschmitt-Boelkow-Blohm. This 
helicopter has since been exported to Ecuador, Israel and 
Nepal, with additional orders from Turkey, Suriname, Peru, 
and Maldives.  (NOTE: One of the Ecuadorean helicopters 
crashed during a military parade in October 2009.  END NOTE.) 
 
¶9. (C)  We were shown a nearly-complete airframe of the 
attack version of the ALH, including mock-up rocket pods and 
a Gatling gun tucked under the nose. A plastic mock-up of a 
laser sight was also fitted in front of the cockpit for 
display purposes. This version of the Dhruv is reportedly 
already under production. We also saw several conventional 
Dhruv airframes in various stages of assembly. 
 
¶10. (C)  Outside the construction bay, we were escorted to 
the airfield, where the HAL engineers proudly displayed a 
prototype of HAL's Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). The LCH is 
based on the Dhruv airframe, but with extensive modifications 
to include a narrower fuselage, in-line seating with the 
pilot sitting above and to the rear of the gunner, and short 
winglets designed for weapons pylons, it bears a strong 
resemblance to the U.S. Army's AH-64 Apache. This prototype 
did not yet have any weapons systems mounted on the pylons, 
and while the Gatling gun under the cockpit looked genuine, 
the laser sight on the nose appeared to be a plastic mock-up. 
The cockpit itself appeared to be a stripped down affair, 
with only the most basic avionics systems present. According 
to our hosts, the LCH was scheduled for her maiden test 
flight in March 2010.  They are working on three prototypes. 
 
¶11. (SBU) We concluded our tour inside a nearby hangar, where 
completed Dhruv helicopters were painted and prepared for 
final delivery. Prominently displayed was an export model 
with an elaborate cobra design painted on the nose, and 
Spanish-language markings for the Ecuadorean Air Force. 
 
COMMENT: HAL's Progress is Emblematic of India's Ambitions 
---------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) While India's aviation industry and construction 
methods clearly remain several decades behind those of the 
United States and other industrialized nations, the 
remarkable progress that HAL has demonstrated in recent years 
shows a resolve to advance India's technological base and 
move forward with more indigenous production capabilities. 
HAL's efforts echo those of the Indian government and the 
society at large to break free from decades of economic and 
technological stagnation, and embrace progress and innovation. 
 
¶13.  (C) Despite these advances, the potential for HAL to 
successfully partner with U.S. firms on a truly advanced 
aircraft remains untested and suspect.  The Hawk program, 
which involves the assembly of aircraft from kits supplied by 
BAE, is well behind schedule.  BAE has told Embassy staff 
that the Indian Air Force did not order sufficient spare 
parts for the first batch of Hawks that were delivered fully 
assembled from England.  BAE technicians supervising work at 
HAL became aware that parts were being taken from the kits 
intended to assemble new aircraft and used instead as 
replacement parts for aircraft already delivered.  Lack of 
controls left BAE unsure what parts were now missing from the 
kits.  When BAE confronted HAL regarding the problem, the BAE 
technical staff was asked to leave HAL.  Clearly, despite the 
progress evident within the Indian Defense sector, American 
firms need to approach partnerships carefully to understand 
the management and technological experience of Indian firms. 
Cost, schedule and quality will be key challenges for any 
company engaging in joint production ventures. 
 
 
NEW DELHI 00000347  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶14. (C) Our tour of the HAL Bengaluru facility illustrated 
not only India's growing technological prowess, but also her 
ambitions to become a player in the global aviation market. 
With their initial entries of aircraft parts and engines into 
the international market, HAL continues working hard to 
position itself as a reliable supplier for the world's 
commercial aviation heavyweights. After the tour, Consul 
General Chennai remarked that our level of access was far 
beyond what he had experienced on his previous visits to HAL, 
when they declined to take him anywhere outside of the 
boardroom.  Granting this level of access to us may signal 
greater willingness from the Indian government to partner 
more closely with the United States government and the 
American defense industry in ongoing and future aviation 
projects. END COMMENT. 
ROEMER