Bengaluru: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Tuesday removed the sticker of Lord Hanuman from the tail of the HLFT-42 aircraft model displayed at Aero India 2023 event in Bengaluru.
“It is not with any intention that it has been put, and it has not been with any intention that it has been removed. It is just to see that the program runs through successfully without getting into any [controversy],” HAL Chairman and Managing Director CB Ananthakrishnan said in a statement.
Hanuman’s picture embossed on the vertical fin of the HLFT-42 with the phrase ‘The storm is coming’ to display its power, had become one of the key attractions at the show. “We put up Lord Hanuman’s image only to showcase the plane’s strength. However, we decided to remove it after the controversy. The idea was to establish a link with our trainer aircraft, Marut. However, we saw controversy erupting around it. The project is at its first stage. We only want to concentrate on it,” Ananthakrishnan said in another statement.
The HLFT-42 aircraft is the successor of HAL Marut, the first Indigenous aircraft.
The biennial event, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 13, showcases India as a developing centre for the production of military aircraft, helicopters, equipment, and cutting-edge avionics.
