• 90 Prachand Fuselages from BEML, Adani Defence Under These Partnerships

Bengaluru. 14 August 2026. India’s indigenous combat helicopter programme is widening its industrial wings. In a significant move to accelerate production of the LCH Prachand, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has brought Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited and BEML into the manufacturing chain for helicopter fuselage structures, marking the first integration of private industry into this critical segment of helicopter production. With HAL already producing the 156 Prachand helicopters ordered for the Indian Armed Forces, the additional production lines signal a shift towards a broader, more distributed indigenous aerospace manufacturing ecosystem.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered into partnerships with the Indian industry— Adani Defence Systems and Technologies Limited and Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML)—for manufacturing fuselage structures for the Prachand Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), further expanding India’s indigenous helicopter production ecosystem.  Under the agreements, BEML and Adani Defence will manufacture 48 and 42 fuselage structures, respectively.

Tushar Ranjan Behera, General Manager, Helicopter Division, signed the agreement with Cmde (Retd.) R. G. K. Rao, ED, Aerospace & Maritime for BEML and Shri Prasanna Karthik, Vice President, ADSTL, for Adani Defence in the presence of the senior leadership of HAL, BEML and ADSTL.

“This partnership marks a significant step in strengthening India’s aerospace ecosystem. For the first time, the private industry is being integrated into the production of helicopter fuselage structures. This partnership will expand capacity, strengthen the domestic supply chain and contribute to enhancing indigenous aerospace manufacturing capabilities,” says Ravi K, CMD, HAL.

HAL has augmented the capacity and already commenced production of the 156 Prachand LCHs ordered for the Indian Armed Forces at its new helicopter manufacturing facility in Tumakuru, Karnataka.

The establishment of two additional production lines will further enhance overall manufacturing capability for the LCH programme and support the timely delivery of the helicopters to the Indian Armed Forces.  The expanded industrial base is also expected to create opportunities for a wider network of Indian MSMEs, component manufacturers and aerospace suppliers, contributing to the development of specialised capabilities and strengthening the domestic aerospace supply chain.

The agreements go beyond adding two more production lines to the Prachand programme. By allocating 48 fuselage structures to BEML and 42 to Adani Defence, HAL is expanding production capacity while creating a deeper industrial ecosystem around one of India’s flagship indigenous combat helicopters. The move is expected to cascade further down the supply chain, opening opportunities for MSMEs, component manufacturers and specialised aerospace suppliers. With production of the 156 ordered LCH Prachands already underway at HAL’s Tumakuru facility, the challenge will now be to translate this expanded industrial capacity into timely deliveries while building capabilities that can support future helicopter programmes. In that sense, Prachand is becoming more than an indigenous combat helicopter—it is increasingly serving as a platform around which India can build a broader and more resilient helicopter manufacturing base.