INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
NEW DELHI: Two significant indigenous defence jobs, the acquisition of 70 fundamental trainer aircraft for the IAF and 3 cadet training
ships for the Navy, worth nearly Rs 10,000 crore were cleared by the PM-led cabinet committee on security on Wednesday.The 70 Hindustan
Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) airplane will be supplied by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics at a cost of Rs 6,828 crore over the next six years
The three training ships, in turn, will be designed and developed at the private Larsen - & Toubro shipyard in Kattupalli (Tamil Nadu) for
Rs 3,108 crore, with the first vessel slated for shipment in 2026
Both the projects have been hanging fire for a very long time
With the turbo-prop HTT-40 taking a long time to end up being functional, the IAF in particular has actually been coming to grips with a
major shortage of standard trainer aircraft (BTA) to train its rookie pilots.The government a few years earlier had actually turned down the
IAFs case to get 38 more Swiss Pilatus BTA, to contribute to the 75 already inducted under a Rs 2,896 crore deal tattooed in May 2012, after
the foreign company was found to have employed absconding arms dealership Sanjay Bhandari, as was then reported by TOI.Now, after the first
70 HTT-40 airplane are provided, the IAF plans to embrace another 36 such aircrafts
HTT-40 is created to have great low-speed handling qualities and supply better training effectiveness
This totally aerobatic tandem-seat turbo trainer has an air-conditioned cockpit, modern-day avionics, hot refuelling, running changeover and
zero-zero ejection seats, a MoD authorities stated on Wednesday
The agreement will include associated equipment and training aids, including simulators
The HTT-40 presently has 56% indigenous material, which will progressively increase to over 60%
The airplane can also be updated to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the militaries, he added.The 3 ships, in turn, will cater to
the training of officer cadets, including females, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Navy
The ships, which will likewise supply training to cadets from friendly nations, can also be released for humanitarian support and disaster
relief along with evacuation of people.The MoD stated the HTT-40 procurement has the potential to supply direct employment to around 1,500
workers and indirect employment for as much as 3,000 people spread over more than 100 MSMEs.The ship job, in turn, will produce an
employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years
This will encourage active involvement of Indian shipbuilding and associated markets, including MSMEs, the authorities stated
With most of the devices and systems sourced from native manufacturers, these vessels will be a proud flag bearer of Aatmanirbhar Bharat in
consonance with the governments Make in India initiative, he added.
