It was a thumbs-up for local design and make of military aircraft as Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar watched HTT-40, the basic trainer aircraft for Air Force pilots, ceremonially touch the skies here on Friday.
The small plane, painted bright yellow and piloted by Gp. Captain C. Subramaniam (retd) and Gp Capt. K. Venugopal, was in the skies for about 15 minutes, over the old HAL airport around 9:15 a.m. It first flew unofficially on May 31.
It has to be certified over the next two years.
Generous praise
It was victory for the design team of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., as its baby soared and turned. Mr. Parikkar congratulated the young team of “an average age of 30 years” on flying the Hindustan Turbo-prop Trainer in the promised time. He had a special word of praise for Project Manager Prashant Singh Bhadoria for seeing it through its hurdles.
Barely two years ago, during Aero India 2015, its makers were publicly put down by the then IAF dispensation; the aircraft was outright rejected as one that would catapult the IAF’s novice pilots into flying and fighting. The Air Force later imported 75 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 MkII.
The IAF, which will follow a two-aircraft, three-phase training, may need about 210 trainers against the earlier 181.
It may top up its June 2015 plan to buy 70 HTT-40s with another 30 or 40, Mr. Parrikar said. The trainer could be up to 25 per cent cheaper than the imported trainer and may also generate business of Rs. 3,000-4,000 crore for vendors from Bengaluru and Hyderabad in future.
He said: “The indigenous content on HTT-40 is close to 80 per cent. The young team has taken a calculated risk and has flown the aircraft within one year of assuring me of it.”
With a manufacturing record of seven decades and seven HTT-40 flights done so far, HAL Chairman & Managing Director T. Suvarna Raju said they aimed to get it operationally certified in 2018.
It would need three flight prototypes, two static versions and would also be weaponised. This would need another Rs. 200 crore apart from HAL’s initial investment of Rs. 350 crore in 2013, when it took it up in August 2013.
“It is a remarkable feat that the aircraft in its inaugural flight carried out low speed pass, a series of turns, high speed pass and short-landing using reverse thrust - which is a unique feature available on this engine-propeller combination,” he added.
Mr. Raju, who was Director (R&D) at that time, recalled that the project has glided through many earlier headwinds. (The team has painted his initials `tsr' on the first prototype.)
A few hundred employees and invitees witnessed the flight.
Decision on Rafale
“The final decision on acquiring Rafale medium multi-role fighter aircraft for the IAF could be taken after six weeks, Mr. Parrikar said.
The price negotiation teams of Indian and French sides have concluded their discussions. “I expect to get the report of the Indian team next week about the finally agreed figure. Once the [Defence] Ministry analyses it, it will go to the government. After that, it may take another four or five weeks for the government to officially come to a conclusion,” the Minister said.
The deal now being part of an inter-governmental agreement, the Centre can iron out any disagreement points; Mr. Parikkar told a news conference after witnessing the inaugural flight of the basic trainer aircraft, HTT-40.
"We have to be careful as it is a big purchase in the range of Rs. 40,000-50,000 crore. Every small saving will mean a few hundred crores of rupees. It has taken around 15 years. Let the exercise be done with some patience," Mr. Parikkar said.
In a revised plan, the Modi government last January signed a deal with France to buy 36 of the fighters built by Dassault of France.
About the IAF's fleet scene, Mr. Parikkar said the plan was to have eight to ten squadrons of the indigenously developed light combat aircraft (LCA), beyond the current plan to acquire 120 LCAs.
Four LCAs built by HAL are due to join the Air Force as part of the first squadron. Next year, the IAF is due to decommission two squadrons of the aged MiG-21 fighters.
"We also have other plans. We envisage getting single and double engine fighters and will finalise it in a few months or a year. The line-up is more or less decided and will depend on the need of the IAF and the finances required,” he said.
As for the heavier fighter planes in the IAF spectrum, the Indo-Russian project to co-develop the fifth generation fighter, the FGFA, was down to sorting out two issues. “The financial aspects are almost finalised. We should be able to sort out [the outstanding] issues in a one or two months," the Minister said.
Being a co-development partner and investor in the $ 8-billion FGFA, the country would not like to licence-manufacture it and prefers the right to export it too, he said.
