Government Moves from Default HAL Allocation to Competitive Bidding

By BPN News Desk March 4, 2026

Op-Eds Opinion

For decades, major fighter aircraft programs in India flowed almost automatically to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. That arrangement was rarely questioned. HAL was the national integrator, the state-backed aerospace champion, and the default prime. The recent structuring of the 114 Rafale local

Op-Eds Opinion

The Real Risk Is Not Tejas Crashing – It’s HAL Moving Too Slowly

By BPN News Desk February 23, 2026

The recent dip in HAL’s share price after a Tejas training accident is a textbook case of misplaced panic. Predictable anxiety over a runway overshoot and a temporarily grounded fleet has dominated the headlines, but these are just the surface-level optics. In the high-stakes world of fighter jet development, hardware failures are a part of […]

Op-Eds Opinion

Why 114 Rafales Are India’s Biggest Defence Signal Since Pokhran II

By BPN News Desk September 13, 2025

India has had a few inflection points that quietly, firmly reset how the world reads New Delhi’s intent. Pokhran II in 1998 was one such moment. A three-decade later echo could arrive if the proposal to build 114 Rafales in India moves from paper to production. This is not only a purchase plan. It is […]

Expert Opinions Opinion

Tejas Mk 1A – A Milestone in India’s Quest for Self-Reliance

By BPN News Desk August 20, 2025

The recent approval of a ₹62,000 crore order for 97 Tejas Mk 1A fighter jets marks one of the most important milestones in India’s defense modernization journey. For decades, India’s reliance on imported fighters — from the MiG-21s of the Soviet era to the modern Rafales from France — highlighted a persistent gap in indigenous […]