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| HAL HJT-36 Sitara (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons) |
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI
NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force, losing patience awaiting an indigenous intermediate jet trainer (IJT) that is seven years overdue, wants to purchase a trainer aircraft overseas, an Air Force source said.
In development since 1999, the IJT is unlikely to meet a reworked deadline of achieving initial operational clearance by the end of 2014, leading the service to press the panic button, the source added.
The Air Force uses aging Kiran basic trainers inducted in 1970-71, while the IJT, being developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL), was scheduled to have been introduced nearly seven years ago.
The Kiran has already exceeded its life expectancy and is scheduled to be retired in 2015, leaving a vacuum in pilot training, the source added.
The Air Force now wants the Defence Ministry to procure trainers from overseas.
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