HAL ranked 45th among top 100 defence firmsOur Bureau / Bangalore July 17, 2006Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has climbed up six notches to secure the 45th position in the list of top 100 defence firms. The list, released by the US-based Defense News, has Lockheed Martin occupying the top position followed by Boeing, Northrop Grumman, BAe Systems and Raytheon.Ashok K Baweja, chairman of HAL, said: "We are hopeful of breaking into the top 25-35 next year." Added D Shivamurti, director (finance) of HAL: "We will further our rankings next year, and our present order book position is just a pointer to that." HAL has joined the select-group of elite billion dollar companies by recording annual sales of over Rs 5,335 crore during the financial year ended March 31, 2006. Two products from the stables of HAL
