Bengaluru: Ravi K has taken over as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of defense PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), becoming the 22nd CMD of the company. He replaces DK Sunil, who retired on April 30.Ravi was previously Director (Operations) at HAL, where he was involved in strategic planning. He has over 30 years of experience in aerospace and defence, manufacturing and electronics.“During his previous roles – including Executive Director and General Manager of LCA Tejas Division – he was associated with several major contracts, including the supply of 180 LCA Tejas aircraft to the Indian Air Force and 156 LCH Prachanda helicopters to the Indian Army and Air Force,” HAL said in a statement.He has also been credited for working towards increasing indigenous content in the operations and program of the LCA Tejas fleet in the Indian Air Force, it said.“During his tenure HAL expanded into civil manufacturing and maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) segment. He also oversaw the outsourcing of fuselage assemblies to private sector partners to expand production capacity,” HAL said.Ravi is a graduate in Mechanical Engineering from Malnad College of Engineering, Karnataka and an alumnus of IIM Ahmedabad and IAS, Toulouse, France. He also serves as a Nominee Director on the Board of Multi-Role Transport Aircraft Limited.Upon assuming charge, he said his focus will be on making HAL competitive in the global aerospace and defense market with an emphasis on innovation, AI adoption and operational efficiency.