Tag: aviation industry

By Admiral Arun Prakash (Retd), Indias aviation industry traces its roots to December 1940, when industrialist Walchand Hirachand established Hindustan Aircraft Limited (HAL) in Bangalore (now Bengaluru), with American technical assistance and capital and land provided by the Mysore government. Soon after the outbreak of WW II, the Indian government, realising the strategic significance of this enterprise, bought a one-third stake in HAL. HAL had barely started licensed production when it was nationalised, in 1943, and handed over to the US Army Air Forces (USAAF). Functioning as an Aircraft Maintenance Depot,...