SAMTEL Avionics, a key player in India’s defence technology sector has actively contributed to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative while simultaneously placing India on the global map of high-tech design and manufacturing through strategic collaborations with international aerospace, defence, and railway companies. At the recently held Aero India 2025, Samtel and HENSOLDT Avionics signed an MoU to explore possibilities of establishing a co-production facility in India through an Industrial partnership for the HENSOLDT’s Products. In an exclusive Interview, Mr. Puneet Kaura, MD and CEO, SAMTEL Avionics speaks with Vishal Kashyap, Managing Editor Aviation World more about the MoU and overall Samtel business presence and vision towards contributing in the Make in India initiative. Excerpts…

Tell us about the recent MoU signed between SAMTEL and HENSOLDT at Aero India 2025?

This MOU basically is the beginning of a relationship with HENSOLDT Avionics for looking at high technology airborne products for Indian and global customers. The HENSOLDT’s product – LCR 100 CaviSight and Cavi Connect will have co-production facility in India through an Industrial partnership. For the Indian customers, who would require this is quite a few and we feel there will be a big demand. We will manufacture this product in India and subsequent requirements if required also will be co-developed and of course, we are also looking at making it for the world in the future in this collaboration.

We are basically looking at starting a relationship with Hensoldt which is into one of the, first of all it is one of the leaders in you know global aerospace and defence market and they are making some very fine products based out of Germany. And this product line is beginning of their commitment to partner with Indian players with high technology products which would be required in the country, fulfilling the requirements of having various TPP requirements of local products under the categories that make category things like that. And also at the same time making products for the world which is also, if I look at the Prime Minister and the vision that they have put forward in the space of defence and in many other spaces as well.

But specifically we are talking defence over here is to not only make our country’s self-dependent but also make products for the world. And this both kind of our requirements of MOD or our country, it fulfills that. I must say that we found a good partner in HENSOLDT which is very open to adapting and working with Indian companies locally to kind of cater to the requirements.

What are the core domains of Samtel Avionics into which it works in India?

Samtel is basically an avionics and electronics company as far as defence is concerned. What that means is, we make products for aviation, electronic products for aviation which can be both for military applications as well as civilian applications. We also make parts for electronic products for vehicle electronics which means for armoured vehicles, tanks and so on and so forth. High technology avionics or electronic products and some subsystems which are required by armed forces and besides that in the space of railway electronics, we have another diversification.

You talked about Atmanirbhar Bharat and Make in India. How is Samtel Avionics contributing towards such initiative?

We have basically started off with manufacturing cockpit displays and we have a JV with HAL which is been there for many years now. It is a very successful joint venture and we are supplying high technology cockpit displays for all types of fixed wing and rotary wing helicopter pro platforms.

Samtel has designed, developed and manufactured state-of-the-art multifunction displays for platforms like the Su-30 MKI fighter jet, the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH)/Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH)/Utility Helicopter Maritime, and Standby Displays for HTT-40 trainer aircraft. We are now on the UHM helicopter and the list goes on just to name a few. This basically makes us a very significant part of the ecosystem both from air force perspective and some of it for the army aviation perspective. We are also in discussions with naval aviation for some applications.

Besides that, we have very state of the art products for Indian army as well and that we are in discussions with them to kind of induct in their platforms.

What are the future plan and how exactly you are looking forward to enhance the capabilities and services of Samtel Avionics?

The future plan of action is aligned with the kind of road map for what Indian MOD has put forward for the Indian industry. We are going to align with that plan, which means that we would keep on enhancing our capabilities either by ourselves or with partners like our latest partnership with HENSOLDT to bring state of the art high technology products to our armed forces and deliver them with absolute precision quality and at the same time continuously look at global market space. We are already working with multiple global air forces.

We are also working with some of the global OEMs based out of west and Europe and US and we want to continue doing that basically aligning very well with what our country’s vision is to make India a global player in the global Aerospace & Defence market.