HAL Aerospace Museum

The HAL Aerospace Museum is on Old Airport Road in Kodihalli, eastern Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. It is run by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the state-owned aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Bengaluru, and documents Indian aviation history through the twentieth century, with a focus on the aircraft and engines that HAL designed, built or maintained. The collection includes aircraft displayed both indoors and on the grounds, among them fighters, trainers, transport aircraft and helicopters associated with the Indian Air Force, and the exhibits illustrate the progression from early licensed production to indigenous design. Examples associated with HAL's history include the HF-24 Marut fighter, the first jet fighter designed and built in India, along with helicopters and trainer aircraft. Indoor galleries hold aero engines, models, photographs, cockpit sections, instruments and displays on the history of the company and the Indian aircraft industry, and visitors can often try flight simulators and cockpit mock-ups. The curatorial approach is a mix of chronological and thematic, moving from early aviation to the modern jet era, and it is designed for a general audience rather than specialists. The setting is a purpose-built museum with an outdoor park of aircraft, and it sits next to the old HAL airport, the historic civil and military airfield that served Bengaluru before the new international airport opened. As a company museum, it is maintained by HAL, and the aircraft are preserved to a reasonable standard, though outdoor examples show weathering. The museum has a cafe and a gift shop and typically requires a couple of hours for a full visit. It closes on Mondays. Photography is generally permitted, but visitors should confirm rules for the simulators and restricted areas at the entrance.