First F/A-18 Super Hornet With HAL-built Gun Bay Door

On July 20 Boeing delivered to the US Navy the first F/A-18E Super Hornet featuring a gun bay door manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). HAL manufactures the doors at its facility in Bangalore. The gun bay door contract is the first military contract between Boeing and HAL.

20 thoughts on “First F/A-18 Super Hornet With HAL-built Gun Bay Door”

  1. happy as I am with HAL earning money from this deal, its kinda stupid that this is being giving much attention by the media. So they made a door, big deal.. I would have been more impressed if it were an engine or something more substantial than just a gun bay door! what next? HAL makes history by providing take away meals to US pilots who want to enjoy an "indian" in flight!

  2. I distinctly remember how GoI forced Airbus to buy HAL made doors for contract. This was done to show our 'manufacturing prowess' and the bidders were forced to accept offsets such as these.

    EADS bought the doors alright, they rot in France. Not a single one has been used, not even on a/c delivered to India.

  3. Tata and L & T form partnerships to manufacture entire fighters and helicopters in Indian assembly lines but nothing comes of it because Antony's Communist MoD won't award contracts to any Indian aircraft maker but HAL.

    Meanwhile HAL boasts about making doors for various planes. Wah! What progress! Hail socialism! Hurray for India's now and forever sole aircraft maker!

  4. HAL is the manufacturer of doors. this is great.. while pakistan and china manufacture fighters (albeit flying pieces of crap).. we can boast to everyone that we make doors.

    maybe when the war starts, we can drop hundreds of these doors on the pakistani army who are standing outside.

    cmon HAL AND DRDO.. make us proud!

    if the govt pushes for more private sector involvement, you can be 100% sure that india will have the BEST defence products on the market!

    but no, because we need to subsidise babustan, we keep the pvt sector out!

  5. So What they achieved ?

    A company who at one side making a Fighter plane for IAF, How come this really proud us as a nation. How come HAL has time to built doors and no time to speed up the fighter plane creation for IAF?

    Lost in a indian Babucracy….

  6. may be next time boeing can allow us to build toilet system for its 747-800 plane and then HAL can show the whole world its so called greatest manufacturing prowess.
    -Raj

  7. MMRCA CONTRACT IS FOR INTERCEPTORS NOT BOMBERS.
    F-18 IS MORE OF A BOMBER AIRCRAFT IF THE IAF WANTS TO REPLACE THE MIG-27 AND HAS NO OPTIONS THEN MAYBE IT SHOULD SELECT THE F-18 WITH SOME ADDONS. AS PER MANUFACTURING CAPABILITY OF INDIA IS CONCERNED ONE DOES NOT HAVE RIGHTS TO QUESTION IT AS INDIA DEVLOPS AND MANUFACTURES STUFF THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE WITHOUT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE WESTERN COUNTRIES. F-18 USING A HAL DOOR IS NOTHING NEW SU-30 OF SOME COUNTRIES ARE USING IT DO NOT ASK WHICH.

  8. Anon 11:00 PM

    Well as a manufacturing company, a good manufacture of a part does show that a manufacture contract or a license production is done as needed.

    No doubt we expect more from HAL and like it to be designer and producer of military goods.

    Like the first comment ( only the first part) pointed out, it's getting unnecessary media attention. Pointing out is one thing , focusing unnecessarily is the concern.

    Now about the airbus doors, I see you have pointed out at something, can you be kind enough however to point at a source for the information provided on rotting doors?

    If no source is available, we can as well say you are misleading people, I'm sure you will comeup with some reliable source to point this out.

  9. It's a pretty go initiative by HAL to start with. However, they need to keep the big picture in mind and focus on priorties, i.e., delivering on the SU-30 MKI production timelines and closing off on the LCA program, post induction into the IAF and later INS, they would have to mass produce the various Tejas varients to remain conpetative & profitable.

    To sum it you, don't settle for crumbs, but rather the whole cake itself!

  10. I stand corrected: Airbus did not initially use any of the doors (they know all about Indian manufacturing abilities) but after it became public knowledge that Indian made doors were rotting in a storage shed, they used some of the doors in aircrafts delivered to AI/IC.

    Another reason (as if any more were needed) to avoid flying Air India!

  11. Air India is the stupidest carrier in the world. If you have ever been on one from the middle east to india, you will see how pathetic the passengers act and the behaviour of the crew.

    Once I was on one and they were serving alcohol (after we left Kuwaiti airspace) and there were around 8 drunks shouting and making noise yet they were provided more and more booze. Further, when the craft landed (just touch down.. still travelling at high speed), all these cheepos stood up and start taking their baggage. Then the stewards came in with sticks to beat those who wouldnt sit down.

    I swore NEVER to have anything to do with that crappy airline. I hope it dies soon.

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