In the presence of Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) on March 7, 2023, for the procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft and three Cadet Training Ships, respectively. Defence Secretary Shri Giridhar Aramane, along with other senior civil and military officials from the MoD, as well as representatives from HAL and L&T, were present during the contract signing and exchange.
In a major boost to the government’s efforts to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta’ in defence, the Union Cabinet approved the purchase of 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft from HAL on March 1, 2023, at a cost of more than Rs 6,800 crore. The Cabinet also approved the signing of a contract with L&T for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships worth more than Rs 3,100 crore under the Buy Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed, and Manufactured) category.
The HTT-40 is a turboprop aircraft with excellent low-speed handling characteristics and improved training effectiveness. The air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot refuelling, running change over, and zero-zero ejection seats are all standard features on this fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer.
The aircraft will address the Indian Air Force’s shortage of basic trainer aircraft for training newly inducted pilots. The purchase will include related equipment and training aids such as simulators. Because it is an indigenous solution, the aircraft can be upgraded to meet the Indian Armed Forces’ future requirements. The aircraft will be delivered over a six-year period.
The HTT-40 contains approximately 56% indigenous content, which will gradually increase to more than 60% through indigenization of major components and subsystems. HAL intends to include domestic private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain. The procurement has the potential to employ thousands of people directly and indirectly across more than 100 MSMEs.