Exclusive | Now, HR Smith rejects NYT's Russia-HAL 'sensitive tech' report: What the UK firm told WION

HR Smith Group has rejected 'entirely false' the allegations made in a New York Times report that accused the British Aerospace manufacturerof transferring sensitive technology to a blacklisted agency supplying Russia with weapons via an Indian state-run company.

In a response to a question from WION, an official spokesperson from HR Smith Group said, “These allegations made by the New York Times are entirely false."

"HR Smith Group takes its supply chain obligations extremely seriously and follows all applicable export controls. We maintain rigorous supplier oversight and supply chain monitoring to uphold the highest standards of compliance,” it said.

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“The products in question that were exported to India were for use in a satellite-based search and rescue network. They support life-saving operations across land, sea, and air and are not designed for military use.”

“We were provided with no evidence to support the claim that our products have been shipped to Russia. The only apparent connection is a common Harmonized System code - an international product classification number used for customs purposes, covering a wide range of products.

"This code alone does not show what the product is or where it originates from and therefore cannot be used to establish a link, which the New York Times has misleadingly done,” it further added.

HR Smith responded hours after India on Monday (Mar 31) strongly rejected the New York Times report that allegedHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), a government-owned aerospace and defence company, sold sensitive technology with potential military use to a blacklisted Russian arms agency.

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MEA slams NYT report as 'factually incorrect and misleading'

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) slammed the report as 'factually incorrect and misleading', accusing NYT of attempting to 'frame issues and distortfacts to suit a political narrative'.

The MEA said HAL has 'scrupulously followed all international obligations on strategic trade controls and end-user commitments'. The ministry further asserted that India's ‘robust legal and regulatory framework on strategic trade continues to guide overseas commercial ventures by its companies’. It also urged ‘reputed media outlets to undertake basic due diligence while publishing such reports, which was overlooked in this case’.

NYT alleged that HR Smith made 118 shipments of restricted technology to HAL between 2023 and 2024. In the same period, it claimed, HAL made 13 shipments of the same parts to Rosoboroneexport, a Russian arms agency blacklisted by the US and the UK, with these shipments totalling over $14 million. The report claimed that in some instances, HAL received equipment from HR Smith and, within days, sent parts to Russia with the same identifying product codes.

(With inputs from agencies)