Boeing and HAL celebrate delivery of 150th gun bay door for the F/A-18 Super Hornet

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) celebrated a milestone with Boeing, with the delivery of the 150th gun bay door for the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine supersonic all weather, carrier-capable multirole combat jet delivering cutting-edge, next-generation multi-role strike fighter capability.

HAL has been Boeing’s long-term supplier in India for over 25 years. Boeing awarded HAL the contract to manufacture gun bay doors for the Super Hornet in 2007.

“We’re proud of our partnership with HAL. This delivery of the 150th gun bay door for the Super Hornet demonstrates that Indian suppliers are an integral part of Boeing’s global supply chain. This milestone is yet another endorsement of our commitment to India, which is well recognized today, because we’ve been investing and making in India for several years now,” said Salil Gupte, president, Boeing India. “Our investments in India are robust and ongoing, spanning technology, hi-tech innovation, production capacity, establishing a supply chain network, and developing skilling centers for aerospace manufacturing in India,” Gupte added.

“HAL is committed to strengthening aerospace manufacturing in India. This delivery is not just an important milestone for HAL, but also for Boeing and the Indian industry,” said R. Madhavan, chairman and managing director, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. “We thank Boeing for their support and commitment to Make in India,” he added.

Boeing has offered to build a 21st century aerospace ecosystem in India for manufacturing the F/A-18 Super Hornet with Indian partners, HAL and Mahindra Defence Systems (MDS). This production will create thousands of jobs and hundreds of suppliers in India, similar to the largest Boeing aerospace ecosystem that exists in the U.S., to help realize the Make in India vision to its full potential.

Boeing’s sourcing from India now stands at $1 billion with over 160 existing industrial partners who are raising the bar to deliver excellent quality and productivity, and becoming an important part of the company’s worldwide supply chain for some of the most innovative aerospace products in the world.