HAL Controversy: When India becomes self-reliant, some powerful countries of the world become restless. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL), India’s largest and most trusted defense company, is at the center of an international controversy today.
The allegation is that HAL transferred the technology received from a British defense company to Russia. But the question is whether these allegations are true or a new form of America’s nervousness.
NEW YORK TIMES Published Report on the HAL Controversy
on May 13, a reputed American newspaper, the New York Times, published a report. The New York Times reported in March that, according to shipping records for 2023 and 2024, British aerospace manufacturer HR Smith Group exported equipment to India that was considered important for Russian weapon systems. This included transmitters, cockpit equipment and antennas. All these are dual-use technology. That is, they can be used in both civil aviation and military.
What is Exactly Controversy Between USA and IND?
The claim is that Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) transferred this technology to Russia. This is where the controversy begins. HAL termed these allegations as completely false, baseless and malicious.
The company says that the equipment ordered from Britain was only for the use of India’s domestic defense. No technology has been transferred to Russia or any other country. HAL also said that it follows all international defense trade rules and export control guidelines.
The ministry came to the defense of HAL after a report by the New York Times (NYT). Government sources said that the report is factually incorrect and misleading, and it has tried to fabricate issues and distort facts to suit the political narrative.
An official said that the Indian entity mentioned in the report has faithfully complied with all its international obligations on strategic trade controls and end user commitments. India’s strong legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide foreign commercial ventures by its companies.
Indian company Hindustan Aeronautics is the largest trading partner of Russian weapons agency Rosoboronexport. H.R. Smith’s lawyer recently provided a statement from Hindustan Aeronautics to the Times, which said that British equipment was not sold to Russia.
But that is not all. The big question is why the US and Western media are so concerned. Defense cooperation between India and Russia is decades old. HAL has built fighter jets like SU-30 MKI in India. It is based on Russian technology. HAL is also a part of the Brahmos missile program, which is a joint venture between India and Russia.
India has now made indigenous changes to the Russian technology. But the strategic partnership between the two countries remains strong. Reports suggest that India and Russia can also jointly produce the S 500. Moscow has offered to jointly produce the S 500 with Russia.
The US wants India to completely join the Western bloc. But India has neither distanced itself from Russia nor bowed down to US pressure. This is what is bothering some powerful countries. After the Russia-Ukraine war, the US and Western countries have imposed technological sanctions on Russia. Their main policy is to ensure that no technology reaches Russia. For this, they also keep the supply chain of third countries under surveillance.
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