Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru (Bangalore).

[6] HAL began aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force.

HAL was established as Hindustan Aircraft Limited in Bangalore (now called Bengaluru) on 23 December 1940 by Walchand Hirachand in association with Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV of Kingdom of Mysore.

The decision by the government was primarily motivated to boost British military supplies in Asia to counter the increasing threat posed by Imperial Japan during Second World War.

[14] Though HAL was not used actively for developing newer models of fighter jets, except for the HF-24 Marut, the company has played a crucial role in modernisation of the Indian Air Force.

HAL has also obtained several multimillion-dollar contracts from leading international aerospace firms such as Airbus, Boeing and Honeywell to manufacture aircraft spare parts and engines.

Over the next 5 years, HAL will carry out major upgrades of almost the entire fighter fleet of the Indian Air Force, including Su-30MKI, Jaguars, Mirage and Hawk jets, to make them "more lethal".

[19] On 29 December 2023, Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane opened a new design and testing facility at the HAL Aero Engine Research and Development Centre (AERDC) in Bengaluru.

The engine development projects undertaken by AERDC include:[20][21] One of the largest aerospace companies in Asia, HAL has annual turnover of over US$3 billion.

[43] HAL also manufactures indigenous products with technology transferred from the DRDO, in association with Bharat Electronics for its avionics and Indian Ordnance Factories for the on-board weapons systems and ammunition.