SOURCE: AFI
In a significant development for India’s indigenous Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) program, Dynamatic Technologies, a key supplier of airframe structures, has outsourced the production of composite materials for the aircraft’s front fuselage section to Azista Composites. This move, confirmed in late March 2025, highlights a strategic shift in the supply chain for the LCA, as Dynamatic—despite its established role in manufacturing metallic aerostructures—lacks in-house expertise in fabricating composite fairings and parts.
Dynamatic Technologies, based in Bengaluru, has been a cornerstone of the Tejas program, producing major airframe assemblies such as the front fuselage, wings, and control surfaces for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The company’s advanced facility in Bengaluru has delivered over 20 shipsets for the LCA Mk1 and is scaling up to meet the demands of the 83-aircraft LCA Mk1A contract signed in 2021. However, the increasing use of composites in modern aircraft design, including the Tejas, has exposed a gap in Dynamatic’s capabilities. Unlike metallic structures, which the company has mastered over decades, composite fabrication requires specialized processes, equipment, and expertise that Dynamatic has not developed internally.
Enter Azista Composites, a Hyderabad-based firm known for its proficiency in advanced composite manufacturing. A division of Azista Industries, the company has carved a niche in producing lightweight, high-strength composite components for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. By outsourcing the front fuselage composites to Azista, Dynamatic taps into this expertise, ensuring that the Tejas program benefits from cutting-edge materials without disrupting its production timeline.
The front fuselage of the Tejas, which houses critical systems like the cockpit, radar, and avionics, increasingly relies on composites to reduce weight and enhance performance. These materials—typically carbon-fiber-reinforced polymers—offer superior strength-to-weight ratios compared to traditional aluminum alloys, while also improving stealth characteristics by reducing radar reflectivity. For the LCA Mk1A, the shift toward composites aligns with efforts to optimize the aircraft’s design, addressing earlier critiques of its weight and agility.
Dynamatic’s decision to outsource reflects a pragmatic approach to its limitations. While the company excels in precision machining and assembly of metallic structures—evidenced by its work on the Sukhoi Su-30 MKI and Boeing’s P-8 Poseidon—it has not invested in the infrastructure or skilled workforce needed for composite production. Fabricating composites involves complex processes like autoclave curing, layup techniques, and quality control for resin impregnation, all of which demand a distinct operational setup. Rather than building this capability from scratch, Dynamatic has opted to leverage Azista’s established proficiency, ensuring quality and efficiency in the supply chain.
Azista Composites, for its part, brings a robust track record to the table. The company has supplied composite parts for various defense projects and is known for its in-house design, prototyping, and manufacturing capabilities. Its Hyderabad facility is equipped with advanced machinery, including autoclaves and CNC systems, tailored for aerospace-grade composites. This partnership not only strengthens the Tejas ecosystem but also underscores Azista’s growing role in India’s aerospace sector, aligning with the “Make in India” push for indigenous manufacturing.
The outsourcing arrangement has raised some eyebrows, however. Industry observers note that Dynamatic’s lack of in-house composite expertise could signal a missed opportunity to develop a fully integrated capability, potentially limiting its long-term competitiveness in a market increasingly dominated by composite-intensive designs. With the LCA Mk2 and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) on the horizon—both expected to rely heavily on composites—Dynamatic may need to reassess its strategy to remain a Tier-1 supplier.
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