India's first home grown basic trainer aircraft HTT 40 expected to be delivered to IAF by September

Bengaluru: After years of delay, the first home-grown basic trainer aircraft HTT-40 is likely to be delivered to the Indian Air Force by September, commencing the process to supply more such aircraft to train the rookie pilots.

“The first HTT-40 is expected to be delivered to the IAF by September and 70 aircraft would be made in the first four years in Bengaluru and Nashik units of the HAL,” sources in the defence establishment told DH.

A Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 made an impressive performance at the inaugural fly past at Aero India 2025 here.

Shortage of trainer aircraft – both basic and intermediate – is one of the key reasons for the IAF to lower its pilot intake, leaving the force with a deficiency of 596 pilots by August 2020. This compelled the Air Headquarters to draw an action plan to fill up the vacancies by 2030 in two phases.

The IAF needs 181 basic trainer aircraft for pilot training, but currently has only 75 Pilatus PC-7 aircraft, whereas the remaining 106 is to be the indigenous basic trainer made by the HAL. The HTT-40 was approved by the government in 2011 but nearly 15 years later, it has still not been inducted in the service.

Sources said the IAF’s plan is to order 70 aircraft initially, while the remaining 36 will be procured post-operationalisation.

The story of the home grown intermediate jet trainer is even more protracted. The IAF felt the need for such an aircraft to replace the Kiran fleet in 1998 and a year later, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the design and development of IJT. A quarter century later, the IAF still doesn’t have the IJT.

The IJT prototypes have flown over 300 hours and received a life extension. One of the IJTs did a sortie at the inaugural fly past, but the aircraft was nowhere close to being ready for the IAF, an official said.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited on Monday announced naming the intermediate jet trainer Yashas after extensive modifications to resolve departure characteristics and spin resistance throughout the aircraft envelope.

For induction into service, the aircraft was upgraded with state-of-the-art avionics and an ultra-modern cockpit to enhance training effectiveness and operational efficiency, while providing weight reduction and overcoming obsolescence of imported equipment.

“Yashas is capable of Stage II pilot training, counter insurgency and counter surface force operations, armament training and aerobatics. It is powered by Russian AL55I Jet engine, providing best in class thrust to weight ratio, optimised thrust management and reliability,” the state owned aviation major said in a statement.