Shri Ajay Kumar Shrivastava has been appointed as Director (Engineering and R&D) in HAL w.e.f. 15th July, 2025. Prior to this appointment, he was holding the position of Executive Director (ARDC).

He is a graduate in Electronics Engineering from HBTI Kanpur and a postgraduate in MS (Aviation Safety & Aircraft Airworthiness) from ENAC/ENSICA, Toulouse, France. He is also a certified Project Management Professional.

He joined Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) as a Management Trainee (Technical) in July 1988 and after completion of training he was posted as an Engineer in Avionics Division Hyderabad in Jan 1990, where he worked on Avionics system of Prithvi Missile. He is having 37 years of experience in Design, Development Certification of Trainer, Fighter and Transport Aircrafts as well as Rotary Wing A/c.

After getting transferred to Transport Aircraft Research and Design Centre (TARDC), Kanpur, he started working on Aircraft’s Navigation and Communication Systems, Weather Radars, Transponders, Recorders, Aircraft Collision Avoidance System etc. Thereafter he moved onto developing modification for Integration of other Avionics major role equipment and sensors like Maritime patrol radar, Electro-Optics & Infra-Red Systems, Side looking Airborne radar, IR/UV sensors, Electronic surveillance measures, Satellite communication systems, Deployable SSCVR/FDR systems, Data link etc. depending upon the requirements from Customers, Obsolescence Management for meeting the new Airworthiness Requirements.

He was instrumental in carrying out Avionics Upgrade of entire HS-748 fleet of IAF consisting at that point of time of 56 aircrafts. He also took up the project for Avionics upgrade of Do-228 of Indian Coast Guard, India Air-Force and Indian Navy, Sea-king Helicopter of Indian Navy and IL-78 aircraft of IAF.

As the head of the Transport Aircraft Research and Design Centre (TARDC), Kanpur, he played key role in getting successfully type certification of Hi-228 aircraft, which makes it the first Indigenous Transport civil passenger aircraft in India to be Type Certified. He was also instrumental in obtaining DGCA certification for 2 civil HAL Do-228 aircrafts.

Under his leadership HAL Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur has successfully completed the Indigenization of several critical aircraft-components carried out in line with the requirement of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Several e-initiatives were also taken to bring about organization-wide systemic changes, transparency & process improvement.

During his tenure as Head of Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) the RMTC-RSD certification for the HTT-40 trainer aircraft was obtained and the Avionics upgrade of HJT-36 was carried out which was successfully demonstrated during Aero India 2025.

He is Nominee Director in Communication (Defence) Testing Foundation (Section 8 Company) and Multi-Role Transport Aircraft Ltd.

He is not related to any other director of the Company and does not hold shares in the Company.