By N. C. Bipindra
New Delhi: India’s top executives selection panel for state-run enterprises has selected an ‘insider’ from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as its next Chairman and Managing Director replacing the incumbent Dr D. K. Sunil.
Ravi Kota, the present HAL Director (Operations) with experience working on the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft ’Tejas’, was on January 29, 2026, selected to be the state-run company’s top executive, according to Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials.
Known among the defence industry circle as the ‘LCA man’ for his pioneering work in the Tejas production within HAL, Ravi Kota would take over from Sunil, who would superannuate at the end of April 2026.
A formal announcement in this regard would come soon, after completion of due process of notifying the appointment, the officials said, requesting annonymity as they are not authorised to speak about the Public Sector Undertaking appointments-related decisions.
The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) chose Ravi Kota from a list of eight candidates, including two from outside HAL, in its meeting on January 29, they said.
The officials did not reveal the other names under consideration for HAL’s top post. Ravi Kota would be the fifth straight ‘insider’ of HAL to be appointed the CMD, as an when the formal announcement from the Indian government comes.
Before Ravi Kota, the four CMD appointed from within HAL were T. Suvarna Raju, R. Madhavan, C. B. Ananthakrishnan, and D. K. Sunil.
The last ‘outsider’ appointed as HAL CMD was Dr R. K. Tyagi, who served in that capacity between 2012 and 2015. Before taking over as HAL CMD, Dr Tyagi was state-run helicopter operator Pawan Hans Helicopter Limited’s CMD between 2007 and 2012.
With experience working on Tejas production at HAL and as Director (Operations), Ravi Kota, as HAL CMD, would have a huge challenge to tackle, as delays in the Tejas deliveries to the Indian Air Force has hit the state-run industry’s reputation.
The Tejas Mk1A deliveries are delayed by two years already, though Sunil had said on January 28 at Wings India 2026 in Hyderabad that five of the aircraft’s variants were ready for delivery after overcoming supply chain disruptions of the GE Aerospace’s F404 aeroengines.
Meanwhile, officials said, a study of HAL by global audit firm, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), for tuning the public sector company into a global, modern aircraft manufacturer, had been completed.
The BCG report on the subject would be handed over to the MoD by end of this fiscal on March 31, 2026, they said.
Ravi Kota is a mechanical engineer and a management graduate from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and from IAS, Toulouse in France.
Ravi Kota was previously HAL LCA Division’s General Manager, responsible for Tejas production, testing, and induction into the IAF.
He negotiated and led a team for the conclusion of the government contract for 83 Tejas Mk1A aircraft in February 2021, apart from the 97 Tejas Mk1A aircraft in April 2025.
Ravi Kota was also the brain behind increasing the Tejas production capacity of HAL from its eight aircraft to 16 jets annually, and responsible for the deliveries to IAF.
He also led the indigenisation team within HAL to increase the local content in the Tejas programme, apart from turning the LCA Division into a lead integrator by successfully outsourcing major fuselage assemblies to the private sector.
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