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Business Line : Industry & Economy / Logistics : HAL to invest Rs 600 cr in new fighter plane unit

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will invest Rs 600 crore in its new fighter plane facility in Bangalore.

The company signed an MoU with the State Government on Thursday during the Global Investors' Meet. The facility will come up on 40 acres of HAL land at Challaghatta, next to the old airport, the defence enterprise said.

The unit will licence-produce the fourth-generation fighters – the MMRCA or medium multi-role combat aircraft – for the Air Force. The Government is negotiating with the French aviation major Dassault for the purchase of the MMRCA .

HAL is creating two new divisions, one for aircraft assembly and testing and the other for engine assembly and testing.

Chairman, Mr R.K.Tyagi, said, “The new unit requires access to the runway. It is a time-bound programme to establish the infrastructure, production facilities and supply of the aircraft.”

The new facility is expected to potentially employ 1,200 people directly and another 3,600 by way of related services and outsourcing.