Bengaluru: Dr D K Sunil, currently serving as Director of Engineering, Research, and Development at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has taken over as Chairman and Managing Director (Additional Charge) from Mr C B Ananthakrishnan, effective September 1, 2024.

Dr Sunil, who began his career with HAL as a Management Trainee in 1987, brings nearly 37 years of experience to the role. Over the years, he has made significant contributions to the company's design, production, quality enhancement, and customer support efforts. His leadership has been pivotal in the development of new technologies, including radar power supply systems, voice-activated control systems, and combined interrogator transponders, which have emerged as key growth areas for HAL.

Dr Sunil's tenure at HAL has also been marked by successful collaborations with academic institutions such as IIT Kanpur and IIIT Hyderabad, focusing on datalinks and voice recognition technologies, respectively. These partnerships have bolstered HAL's capabilities in advanced technologies.

At the Mission Combat Systems R&D Centre in Bengaluru, Dr Sunil led teams working on innovative projects like the Active ESA Radar, Automatic Flight Control System for the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and mission computers for both helicopter and fighter platforms. His extensive design expertise spans from individual equipment to system-level projects, covering a wide range of aircraft and helicopter design activities across HAL's design centres. /BI