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| Model of the HTT-40 trainer aircraft (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By Vivek Raghuvanshi
Uncertainty Looms Over Whether the Indian Air Force Will Use It
NEW DELHI — India's state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) plans to go ahead with development of the homegrown basic trainer HTT-40, but there is uncertainty if the Indian Air Force (IAF) would ever buy it because the timeline for development of the trainer is incomplete.
The IAF has already contracted the Swiss Pilatus basic trainer PC-Mark-II and conveyed to the Ministry of Defence in the past that it is not in favor of using the HTT-40 trainer, which was rolled out from the hangar on Feb. 2 to prepare for its flight.
In February 2015, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the highest body in the MoD responsible for clearing weapon purchases, approved a proposal of the IAF to buy 38 additional Pilatus trainers to top the existing 75, but the DAC also ordered that further IAF needs be met through procurement of HTT-40 basic trainers, which was not demanded by IAF.
IAF officials said in private that bureaucrats in the MoD, while deciding whether to order HTT-40 trainers, had overlooked Air Force recommendations, which in 2013 had strongly urged the homemade HTT-40 trainer project be put on hold and 106 additional Pilatus trainers be procured.
Even as HAL rolled out the HTT-40, uncertainty persisted on the fate of the homemade trainer.
Read the full story at DefenseNews