Bengaluru, September 18, 2026- Dhruv NG helicopter Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) today i.e. on September 18, 2026 in Bengaluru, Karnataka in the presence of Defense Minister Shri Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister Shri K Rammohan Naidu, received the final operational clearance (FOC) of Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Twin Seater Trainers and HTT 40 Basic to the Indian Air Force (IAF). Trainer Aircraft and will hand over Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited (PHL).
The assignment marks an important milestone in the country's self-reliance journey as the program will highlight the role played by HAL and its industry partners in strengthening the local aerospace ecosystem. It will also showcase the industry's expanding capability to design, develop and produce advanced platforms for both civilian and military applications.
Today, 18th September, I shall be visiting Kochi and Bengaluru. In Kochi (Keralam), I shall be attending the inaugural ceremony of an event organized by 'Janmabhumi'.
Later in the evening, I will be in Bengaluru (Karnataka) to attend the Handing Over ceremony of LCA Tejas FOC…
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 18, 2026
On this occasion, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal AP Singh; Secretary (Conservation Production) Shri Sanjeev Kumar; Shri Sameer Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Shri Ravi K, CMD, HAL, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Civil Aviation, IAF, PHL, regulatory agencies and stakeholders in the aerospace and defense sectors will be present.
The Government has given high priority to promoting indigenous design, development and production in the aerospace and defense sectors. The inclusion of this platform is another step towards strengthening indigenous capabilities and reducing dependence on foreign sources.