In an exciting development, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is gearing up to supply the Indian Air Force (IAF) with its 'Made-in-India' HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft, starting in the year 2025. This significant milestone comes as a result of the Cabinet Committee on Security's approval, granted seven months ago in March, for the acquisition of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft from HAL, with an estimated investment of Rs 6,838 crore.

The initial aircraft is slated to reach the IAF's fleet within just 20 months of contract signing, with the remaining aircraft set to be delivered over a span of six years. These aircraft will play a pivotal role in shaping the skills of novice pilots in both the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy during their foundational training phase. Subsequent training stages will see these pilots advancing to the Kiran Mark II jet and the Hawk advanced jet.

The ambitious delivery schedule aims to provide a total of twelve HTT-40 aircraft by the close of 2025-26. Of these, ten will roll off the assembly line in HAL's Nashik facility, while the remaining two will be manufactured at the Bengaluru assembly line. Following this initial batch, HAL plans to maintain a steady pace, with the annual delivery target set at 20 trainers, out of which 15 will be assembled at the Nashik production line.

Commenting on this remarkable endeavor, DK Sunil, Director of Engineering, Research, and Development at HAL, affirmed, "HAL will deliver 12 trainers to IAF in 2025-26, with ten of those being built in Nasik and the remaining two in Bengaluru. Deliveries will continue at a rate of approximately 20 per year, with 15 of the aircraft to be constructed in Nashik."

Looking forward, there are promising prospects for another order of thirty-five HTT-40 trainers, with negotiations and agreements expected to materialize in the near future. These HTT-40s will serve as valuable additions to the IAF's current inventory, which already includes 75 Swiss Pilatus PC-7 basic trainers.

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