'Misleading': India rejects New York Times report on HAL re-routing sensitive British technology to Russia

India has denied a report by The New York Times that claimed Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) supplied sensitive technology to a Russian arms agency, calling it misleading, news agency ANI reported. New Delhi emphasised India’s strong commitment to its legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade.

The Ministry of External Affairs stated that HAL had followed all international rules on strategic trade controls and end-user commitments, according to ANI.

“The said report is factually incorrect and misleading. It has tried to frame issues and distort facts to suit a political narrative,” the MEA said to news agency ANI.

The government also urged media outlets to exercise “due diligence” when publishing such reports. “India’s robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide overseas commercial ventures by its companies. We expect reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which was obviously overlooked in this case,” a source from the MEA said to ANI.

NYT’s report on alleged link

The New York Times reported that a company from the British aerospace manufacturer, HR Smith Group, sent restricted equipment to an Indian firm between 2023 and 2024.
The Indian firm was described as the “biggest trading partner” of Russia’s arms agency, Rosoboronexport.

NYT says having proof of re-routing of technology

The NYT report also mentioned that there’s no proof the British aerospace manufacturer’s products went to Russia. However, it said that after the Indian company received the parts, they were sent to Russia with the same product codes.

Meanwhile, the report also noted that the British manufacturer didn’t confirm whether they asked HAL for assurance that the products wouldn’t end up in Russia