NEW DELHI (Agencies): The Indian government has dismissed a recent report by the New York Times (NYT) that alleged Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), one of India’s leading defense and aerospace companies, was involved in rerouting UK-made equipment to Russia. Indian government sources have labeled the report as “factually incorrect and misleading,” refuting claims against the state-run defense giant.
Published on Friday, the NYT report claimed that UK-based aerospace manufacturer H.R. Smith Group shipped equipment to HAL, which is also a key trading partner of Russia’s sanctioned state military export company, Rosoboronexport. However, the report provided no evidence of these allegations and acknowledged that “records do not prove that N.R. Smith’s products ended up in Russia.” N.R. Smith denied the claims entirely.
Indian officials stressed HAL’s strict adherence to international obligations regarding strategic trade controls and end-user commitments. “The said report distorts facts to fit a political narrative,” said an Indian government source, adding that HAL follows robust legal processes for sensitive technologies. The government called on reputable media outlets to conduct due diligence before publishing such reports.
HAL, which has yet to comment publicly on the allegations, has long been a major defense partner of Russia. It is responsible for upgrading Russian-origin MiG-21 and MiG-29 aircraft for the Indian Air Force and producing the Su-30MKI fighter jets under a Russian license since 2004. HAL’s Nashik factory has manufactured 222 Su-30MKIs to date, forming the backbone of India’s Air Force fleet.
Discussions between India and Russia are currently underway to further upgrade the Su-30MKI jets, highlighting HAL’s continued role in defense collaboration between the two nations. These allegations, dismissed by New Delhi, underscore the importance of HAL’s operations in strengthening India’s defense capabilities.