Questions have emerged over quality documentation in the supply chain of the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk-1A fighter jet programme after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) filed an FIR against a Hyderabad-based aerospace firm, alleging that it submitted 199 forged test reports for components supplied to the project.
The FIR, registered on June 2 at the HAL police station in Bengaluru, names M. Sivarama Prasad, CEO of TEC Aero Devices. Police have invoked sections related to cheating and forgery, a PTI report said.
According to a complaint filed by Ranu Gupta, Deputy General Manager of HAL's Aircraft Division, TEC Aero Devices had received 18 purchase orders from HAL from March 2022 onwards for the supply of various components for the Tejas Mk-1A programme.
A report by The Print said the company had previously supplied larger components for other aerospace programmes, including the Sukhoi fighter fleet and Dornier aircraft.
The company had secured approval certificates for manufacturing 35 categories of parts after submitting samples, test reports and supporting documents. However, during bulk supplies, HAL sought original reports related to tensile strength, hardness, break load, shear, non-destructive testing (NDT), microstructure and salt spray tests.
The complaint alleges that the company failed to produce the original documents when asked.
According to the FIR, representatives of TEC Aero Devices submitted an apology letter to HAL on November 22, 2023, admitting that two incorrect reports had been furnished in the name of Hyderabad-based Axis Inspection Solutions.
Following this, HAL carried out an audit at Axis Inspection Solutions on November 29, 2023, to verify the authenticity of 199 test reports submitted by TEC Aero Devices between February and September 2023.
The audit allegedly found that none of the reports had been issued by Axis Inspection Solutions and that all 199 reports were forged.
Axis Inspection Solutions informed HAL that its name and signatures had been misused to create and submit fake reports, the FIR stated.
HAL subsequently debarred TEC Aero Devices from doing business with the company for three years, until March 10, 2027, and removed it from its list of approved suppliers. The complaint also noted that HAL had not made any payments to the firm.
According to the FIR, internal deliberations were held before HAL decided to initiate criminal proceedings, resulting in a delay in filing the complaint.
There was no immediate response from TEC Aero Devices regarding the allegations.
