India's L&T Delivers First Set of Wing Assemblies for LCA Mk1A Fighter

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has delivered the first set of wing assemblies for the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Mk1A to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the Ministry of Defence confirmed on July 17.

L&T Senior Vice President and Head of Precision Engineering, Arun Ramchandani, stated that four wing sets will be delivered annually, with plans to increase production to twelve per year using automation and advanced processes.

The LCA Mk1A program has sourced multiple structural components from Indian companies, including air intake assemblies from Lakshmi Machine Works, rear fuselage from Alpha Tocol, loom assemblies from Amphenol, fin and rudder assemblies from Tata Advanced Systems, centre fuselage from VEM Technologies, and now wing assemblies from L&T.

The delivery comes shortly after India received its second GE-404 engine from the United States for the Mk1A program. HAL is expected to receive a total of 13 engines by the end of the financial year, following delays due to global supply chain disruptions. The Indian Air Force has ordered 83 LCA Mk1A jets, with a proposal to acquire 97 more currently under consideration after approval from the Defence Ministry.