India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) achieved sales of Rs 13,061 crore ($2.9 billion) for the fiscal year 2010-11 — a 14% increase over the previous year. The government-owned company’s profit before taxes stood at Rs 2,718 crore ($604 million), while its order book jumped by Rs 8,524 crore ($1.9 billion). According to T. Sudhakar Rao, HAL’s executive HR director, one major highlight for the company during the year was the initial operational clearance (IOC) for the Dhruv Mk. III helicopter and Shakti engine utility variant. “This was a major achievement, as Dhruv [is] our flagship product,” Rao says. The LCH had its first flight in May. During the 2011 Aero India show, HAL also unveiled the LCH technology demonstrator (TD-2) with a digital camouflage paint scheme — a first for any Indian Air Force (IAF) asset. TD-2 is expected to join the flight line soon. [Photo A.R. Jose]
(Full report in AW)
