NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — The New York Times reported Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) had a role in selling imported equipment to a Russian arms exporter. But Indian officials are denying those claims. According to the report, between 2023 and 2024, a British aerospace company, H.R. Smith Group firm sold equipment to an Indian firm, which has been named as the biggest trading partner of Russia’s arms agency, Rosoboronexport.
The article goes on to state that Techtest, another company, sold India-restricted technology in February 2024, and shortly thereafter, Hindustan Aeronautics allegedly sold the same equipment to a buyer with Rosoboronexport ties. However, the report itself states there is no direct evidence to prove H.R. Smith’s products reached Russia, but merely that the Indian company was sold equipment by H.R. Smith and then exported goods to Russia with the same product numbers.
Sources familiar with the issue have rejected the charges, calling the report “factually incorrect and misleading.” They claimed that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has strict compliance with international obligations pertaining to strategic trade controls and that India’s legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade remains robust. The sources also mentioned India’s membership in three key multilateral non-proliferation export control regimes, which further attest to the nation’s adherence to international trade rules.
HR Smith Group justified its sales, indicating that the equipment was headed to an Indian search-and-rescue network and not for military purposes. The company asserts that what it did was legal and in line with international norms.
