Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's Koraput Division Marks 60 Years With 2,000th Aero-Engine Delivery as Rajnath Singh Announces ₹553 Crore Expansion of AL-31FP and Shakti Engine Production

Key facts

• Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) delivered its 2,000th aero-engine from its Koraput Division, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh witnessing the delivery on October 6, 2026, marking six decades of aero-engine manufacturing since the division's establishment in 1964.
• HAL will invest ₹335 crore to raise annual AL-31FP engine production capacity from 30 to 50 units; in 2024 the government ordered 240 AL-31FP engines for the Su-30MKI, and HAL has delivered 63 engines against a target of 60 by the end of the second year, with the first engine delivered ahead of schedule despite supply-chain disruptions.
• HAL will establish a second Shakti engine production line with an investment of ₹218 crore, to be fully established by 2028-29 with capacity of up to 100 engines annually, supporting indigenous helicopters including the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Prachand Light Combat Helicopter (LCH).
• HAL Koraput has overhauled more than 9,000 engines, and its engines have powered frontline aircraft including the MiG-21, MiG-27, MiG-29 and Su-30MKI.
• The government is pursuing an indigenous high-thrust aero-engine programme with an investment of approximately ₹5,000 crore, relevant to the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, including raw-material indigenisation with Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited (MIDHANI) and India's first indigenous high-thrust engine testing facility.
• Rajnath Singh called on HAL to develop Koraput into a broader aerospace propulsion ecosystem by integrating MSMEs, start-ups, private industry, academic institutions and research organisations, and highlighted Odisha's defence manufacturing potential, including the Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) Integrated Test Range at Chandipur and the approved Aerospace and Defence Equipment Manufacturing Complex at Gajamara in Dhenkanal under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
• The event was attended by Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Secretary (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Tejpal Singh, HAL Chairman and Managing Director Ravi K., MIDHANI Chairman and Managing Director Dr S.V.S. Narayana Murty, and Joint Secretary (Aerospace Wing and DOMW) Manisha Chandra.