A very serious matter has come to light regarding the country's most important indigenous fighter aircraft program 'Tejas Mk1A' fighter jet. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has accused a Hyderabad-based supplier company of submitting 199 fake test reports related to fighter aircraft parts. After the matter came to light, HAL took action against the company and lodged an FIR and also blacklisted it for 3 years.
According to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Hyderabad-based 'TEC Aero Devices' company was given 18 purchase orders for the supply of various parts (components) for the Tejas fighter jet program from March 2022. The company had also submitted samples and test reports to prove the quality of these parts. On the basis of this, he was given approval to make 35 types of parts.
This fraud of the company came to light when HAL asked for original copies of test reports from the company during a routine quality verification. HAL had asked for original reports related to many important tests related to strength and quality of parts (such as tensile strength, hardness, and shear test), which the supplier company could not provide.
Later, when HAL audited the third-party testing agency 'Axis Inspection Solutions', the big truth came to light. During investigation, it was found that all 199 reports submitted between February 2023 and September 2023 were fake. These fake documents were prepared by misusing the name and letterhead of the testing agency.
Seeing the seriousness of the matter, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited came into action and took strict action against this company which was playing with the country's security and 'Make in India' campaign. First, the supplier company 'TEC Aero Devices' has been blacklisted. Besides, a criminal case has been registered against the company and an FIR has been lodged. It is a matter of relief that till now no payment has been made by HAL to this supplier company.
Tejas Mk1A is the most modern indigenous fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF). This project is considered very important for India's self-reliance in the field of defence. This is the reason why any fraud related to the safety and quality of Air Force aircraft is being considered a serious challenge to the defense system.
