Eye on Defense Exports, India's HAL Sets up Office in Kuala Lumpur

India’s defence minister Rajnath Singh on July 11 inaugurated Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Regional Marketing Office in Kuala Lumpur during his ongoing three-day visit to Malaysia.

This Regional Office will facilitate close defence industrial collaboration between India and Malaysia. It will also serve as a hub for the HAL’s engagement with the wider South-East Asian region and act as a window for other Indian Defense PSUs, India’s defence ministry said in a release.

As per local media, this new office has the potential to service and maintain the Sukhoi Su-30 fleet of the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF). HAL is one of the largest producers of the Russian-origin Su-30s and was also looking to supply spare parts for the RMAF.

HAL had established an overseas marketing office in the Malaysian capital in August 2022, while it was eyeing a deal for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas. It lost the contest to the South Koreans who offered Malaysia FA-50 light attack jets.