HAL HTT-40 (Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40) clears the 6 turn spin trials and is now on its way to achieving certification. With Pilatus blacklisted for 1 year thanks to corruption allegations on the PC-7 Mk2 deal, there is a very strong likelihood that the HTT-40 will enter service as the second basic trainer for the IAF.
The final HTT-40 configuration is seen in the image. single ventral fin and no dorsal fin extending to the vertical fin. Spin chute attachment will come off once the trials are over.
HAL built trainer HTT-40 clears crucial flight test successfully
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In flight-testing on Saturday in Bengaluru, HAL’s test pilots threw the HTT-40 into multiple spins and, each time, the trainer returned to level flight smoothly. In so doing, the HTT-40 cleared the so-called “six-turn spin test”, regarded as the ultimate and most difficult test for a trainer aircraft.
The HTT-40 has already met and, in many aspects of flight performance, surpassed the so-called “Air Staff Qualitative Requirements” (ASQRs), which lists out the flight performance — speed, turn, ceiling, etc. — that the IAF demands from an aircraft.
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For the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II trainer, the procurement of which is already under the scanner of the Central Bureau of Investigation, this most likely spells the end of further imports. The HTT-40 falls under the category of “Indian designed, developed and manufactured” (IDDM) equipment, and the MoD cannot import more Pilatus without a detailed explanation of why the HTT-40 is being ignored.
“For HAL, clearing the HTT-40’s six-turn spin tests removes a monkey from our backs. Our intermediate jet trainer (IJT) aircraft had failed its spin tests and we were determined this would not be the fate of the HTT-40. In fact, not just has the HTT-40 cleared its spin and stall tests, we have revived the IJT project as well,” said HAL’s design chief, Arup Chatterjee.
HAL has manufactured the IAF’s fleet of Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJT), with technology from BAE Systems. With the HTT-40 poised for final clearance, a breakthrough on the IJT could mean that the IAF’s entire training aircraft fleet comprises of HAL-built aircraft.
First IAF Rafale RB001 in IAF colors. Handover to the IAF and India’s Defence Minister will happen on October 8, 2019
This might be were they intend to get the 21+ airframes for India from.
I doubt it. Previous reports indicated that these were inspected in Russia by an IAF team and found to be in pretty good condition. Partially completed airframes, not fly-worthy MiG-29s. But the IAF did also consider the option of buying Malaysian MiG-29Ns and putting them through the UPG upgrade. Don’t know what happened to that after the initial interest.
One interesting thing to note on the MiG-35 is that its radome is smaller than that of the MiG-29M2 sold to Egypt and the MiG-29K. Looks like they weren’t able to fit the full size AESA into the MiG-29M2 or MiG-29K radome, possibly due to a large back end?
My response was to Austin’s desire to mount MAWS internally on a jet which is already densely packaged. I too believe pylon mounting is a good solution . And the pylons can support towed decoys too.
Oh ok..I thought your reply was to my post. Yeah, the LCA especially is so small a jet and so densely packed, that there is barely any space to add any additional equipment on board the fuselage. It already has resulted in no space being available for an internally mounted SPJ. Consequently on the Mk1A, a dual pylon is being designed to allow for 2 BVRAAMs or CCMs to be carried and 1 pylon to be a dedicated SPJ pylon, like in the pic below
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