Hical Technologies Expands Rafale and Aerospace Manufacturing with New Bengaluru Facility

Bengaluru-based Hical Technologies has opened a new 60,000-square-foot aerospace manufacturing facility at Devanahalli, expanding its capacity to support complex aerospace and defence programmes from India.

The new unit will house dedicated manufacturing lines and programme partnerships for electromagnetic, electromechanical, hydraulic and control systems used in commercial aircraft and Rafale-related programmes. The expansion strengthens Hical’s position within India’s growing aerospace supply chain and comes as global OEMs increasingly seek high-precision manufacturing capacity from Indian suppliers.

Devanahalli Facility Targets High-Precision Aerospace Systems

The new Devanahalli plant has been designed around specialised aerospace and defence manufacturing rather than general industrial production.

Hical said the facility will support complex systems requiring high levels of precision, traceability and process discipline. These include electromagnetic and electromechanical assemblies, hydraulic systems and control systems for aviation applications.

Such products sit deeper in the aerospace value chain than basic structural fabrication. Their manufacture requires tight dimensional tolerances, controlled production processes and extensive quality assurance because they directly support the operation of aircraft subsystems.

Rafale Programmes Form Part of the Manufacturing Portfolio

One of the most significant aspects of the new facility is its connection with Rafale programmes.

Hical has confirmed that the Devanahalli site will include dedicated lines supporting commercial aircraft as well as Rafale-related manufacturing. The company has not publicly detailed every component or subsystem associated with those programmes, so the expansion should be viewed as part of the broader Rafale industrial supply chain rather than as evidence of complete system manufacture in India.

The development nevertheless illustrates the gradual deepening of Indian participation in sophisticated combat-aircraft supply chains.

India’s aerospace ecosystem has increasingly moved from simpler offset work and component production towards precision electromechanical systems, controls, machining and integrated assemblies. Hical’s new capacity fits directly into that transition.

Hical Already Has a Long Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Base

Hical Technologies has operated in aerospace and defence manufacturing for several decades.

The company produces motors, solenoids, actuators, transformers, cable harnesses, precision-machined components and integrated electromechanical systems for aerospace, defence and space customers.

It also operates as an Indian offset partner for international programmes linked to Indo-US, Indo-French and Indo-UK contracts. Hical holds design capabilities for commercial and military aircraft applications and manufactures products used across aeronautical, military and space systems.

This background gives the Devanahalli expansion a broader significance. The new facility is not an isolated greenfield entry into defence manufacturing but an expansion of an existing Indian supplier into larger and more complex programme-linked production.

Experience Centre Will Showcase Wider Capabilities

The Devanahalli facility will also include an experience centre showcasing Hical’s broader manufacturing footprint.

This can help international aerospace customers evaluate the company’s capabilities across multiple locations, including electromechanical systems, machining, fabrication and integration.

For aerospace suppliers, such visibility is important because global OEM sourcing decisions depend heavily on demonstrated process capability, certification, quality history and the ability to scale production reliably.

The experience centre therefore complements the production infrastructure by presenting Hical as a multi-site aerospace manufacturing partner rather than a single-facility component supplier.

Hosur Expansion Adds Another 160,000 Square Feet

The Devanahalli facility is only one part of Hical’s current expansion.

The company is separately developing a 160,000-square-foot aerospace and defence manufacturing facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, where groundbreaking was completed in July 2026.

The Hosur site is being built for precision machining, fabrication and specialised aerospace processes. Hical has said the facility is being prepared for NADCAP qualification and other aerospace certifications required by international customers.

Together, Devanahalli and Hosur will provide complementary capabilities. Devanahalli will focus heavily on electromechanical, electromagnetic, hydraulic and control-system production, while Hosur will expand the company’s precision machining and fabrication capacity.

NADCAP Qualification Will Be Important for Global Programmes

NADCAP qualification is particularly significant for suppliers seeking deeper participation in international aerospace manufacturing.

The accreditation system is widely used across the global aerospace industry to verify specialised manufacturing processes such as heat treatment, coatings, welding, non-destructive testing and other critical production activities.

Hical’s decision to design the Hosur plant around such qualification indicates an effort to compete for more sophisticated work packages from global aerospace OEMs.

This also supports India’s broader ambition to move beyond low-cost manufacturing and become a trusted source for certified aerospace production.

India’s Aerospace Supply Chain Is Moving Up the Value Curve

The expansion by Hical reflects a wider change in Indian aerospace manufacturing.

Indian suppliers increasingly produce more than simple machined parts. Domestic companies now participate in aerostructures, avionics, electronic warfare systems, actuators, radar electronics, precision castings, engine components, wiring systems and aircraft assemblies.

That progression is important because aerospace manufacturing creates the greatest strategic value when suppliers can design, certify and manufacture complex subsystems rather than remain limited to basic build-to-print work.

Hical’s focus on controls, electromechanical systems and specialised manufacturing places it within this higher-value segment.

Rafale Supply Chain Adds Strategic Relevance

The Rafale connection gives the new facility additional relevance to India’s defence-industrial ecosystem.

India already operates Rafale fighters with the Indian Air Force and has selected Rafale Marine aircraft for the Navy. At the same time, French aerospace companies have been expanding their industrial presence and supplier relationships in India.

Participation by Indian companies in Rafale-related production can therefore create capabilities that extend beyond any single procurement programme.

Precision manufacturing processes, quality systems and subsystem expertise developed for one advanced aircraft can later support other military and commercial programmes.

This is one reason aerospace supply-chain localisation can have longer-term industrial effects even when the original programme is foreign-designed.

Bengaluru and Hosur Form an Expanding Aerospace Corridor

Hical’s choice of Devanahalli and Hosur also reflects the growing importance of southern India’s aerospace manufacturing corridor.

Bengaluru already hosts major aerospace institutions, defence research laboratories, HAL facilities, private manufacturers and a deep pool of engineering talent. Hosur, located nearby in Tamil Nadu, is increasingly developing complementary precision-manufacturing and industrial capacity.

By expanding across both locations, Hical can draw on the same regional supplier, engineering and logistics ecosystem while separating different production specialisations across larger facilities.

This clustered model can improve supply-chain efficiency and make it easier to support global aerospace customers at scale.

From Component Supplier to Programme Partner

The significance of Hical’s latest expansion lies in the company’s attempt to move further into programme-linked aerospace manufacturing.

Dedicated production lines for Rafale and commercial-aircraft programmes, combined with a much larger precision-manufacturing facility at Hosur, indicate a strategy built around long-term aerospace supply-chain participation.

For India, this is part of a broader industrial shift. Domestic aerospace companies are increasingly acquiring the certifications, process control and manufacturing depth required to become enduring partners to global OEMs.

Hical’s Devanahalli facility adds another layer to that ecosystem, strengthening India’s capacity in precision electromechanical systems and creating a stronger domestic base for increasingly sophisticated aerospace and defence manufacturing.

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References

1. Hical Technologies — Company information and aerospace and defence manufacturing capabilities.
2. India Strategic — Hical Technologies Strengthens Aerospace and Defence Manufacturing Capacity with Devanahalli Facility Launch, October 6, 2026.
3. ET Manufacturing — Hical Technologies Launches 60,000-sq-ft Aerospace Facility in Bengaluru, October 6, 2026.
4. Hical Technologies — Hosur aerospace facility announcement, July 2026.
5. ET Manufacturing — Hical Technologies Breaks Ground on New Aerospace, Defence Manufacturing Facility in Hosur, July 2026.

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