In yet another shot in the arm for India, state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has successfully secured an order for manufacturing, assembling, integrating, testing and supplying the High Speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) system, known as ABHYAS, from the Aeronautical Development Establishment of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Following the successful completion of the order, HAL would be identified as the development-cum-production partner for the supply of this target system along with a private firm (50% of the volume).
It is estimated to have large requirement from tri-services – Indian Army, Indian Air Force and Indian Navy and DRDO laboratories for evaluation trials of the missile programme.
ABHYAS was first successfully flight-tested in May 2019 and subsequent evaluation trials are being conducted by ADE-DRDO.
This order would mark the beginning of the series production of ABHYAS.
The latest development comes after HAL signed a contract with Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) for the development and supply of 20 types of systems for the LCA Tejas Mk1A programme.
The 5-year contract from 2023-2028 is pegged at Rs 2,400 crore, and involves supplying critical avionics Line Replaceable Units, flight control computers and night flying line-replaceable units.
