HAL on high alert for IAF fighter fleet care

BENGALURU: Amid need for foolproof preparedness following India's Operation Sindoor, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL ), responsible for maintaining IAF's fighter planes , has been put on a high alert, entailing compulsory overtime for staff at the base or outside. Engineers and technicians have been told to be "ready" to leave at short notices for repair work.

"Our staff critical for maintenance have been told to be prepared for any requirement and some have been asked to volunteer in case there's a requirement for travel. We've already started an additional shift between 7pm and 11pm; and if needed, we are prepared to work round the clock," an HAL source said.

HAL is the fourth line of service for commissioned fighter planes, including repair of engines, avionics, and other major control systems. The first two lines of service are at the squadron level. The third line of service, requiring a slightly higher degree of repair work, is available at various base repair depots (BRDs). A retired IAF officer said that during peacetime, aircraft needing the fourth or fifth line of service are sent to HAL as there's time to get them back. But in emergency situations, IAF does not have such luxury. And therefore, it is general practice to have back-up staff on their toes.

HAL handles the Su-30 and the MiG fleets in Nasik, while all European platforms of fixed wing fighters (Mirage & Jaguar) are handled in Bengaluru. All the choppers are repaired at Helicopter complex in Bengaluru. "But during emergencies, aircraft cannot be brought here, so we must be ready to go," an HAL official in Bengaluru said.

During the Kargil conflict in 1999, a retired HAL employee had told TOI earlier, technicians had "continuously worked for over two months". While a similar alert was put in place in 2016 when India conducted a surgical strike on Pakistan, it didn't last as long as the one during Kargil.