Trainer Aircraft of IAF - PC-7, HTT-40, HJT-36, BAE Hawk

Was not referring to the developmental program / building of prototypes for testing but the signing of agreement during the concurrent engineering phase of the Mk-2 in the not so distant future to mitigate the loss of time .
Our defence procurement procedure demands certification before releasing RFP. Unless government should change that there is no such hope.

IAF once did put faith on a HAL project and ordered LSP before certification. Thats HJT-36, but here we are !. CAG even called them out for skipping procedures.

Why would services take such risks? Government should be the one making the necessary changes.

There are 12 HJT-36 LSP version airframes undelivered with HAL.
 
IAF & HTT-40: From Wanting It Dead To Ordering 70 - Livefist

For those who were in their diapers in 2012 to those who were shilling for Pilatus & only Pilatus & nothing but Pilatus ONLY to then indulge in the usual verbal calisthenics , shifting goalposts about how from certification to first production batch - the program would take 6-7 yrs which neither was the point of this program nor the debate here at all some yrs ago , to all those who'd just like to read the summation of events which were nothing short of a rollercoaster ride of what's one of the rare success stories of the indigenous Indian aero ecosystem & hopefully among the first to harbinger many pleasant tidings of a similar nature to come in the future .
 
Our defence procurement procedure demands certification before releasing RFP. Unless government should change that there is no such hope.

IAF once did put faith on a HAL project and ordered LSP before certification. Thats HJT-36, but here we are !. CAG even called them out for skipping procedures.

Why would services take such risks? Government should be the one making the necessary changes.

Do yourself a favour & check for when was the RFP for HTT-40 released by the IAF & when was it certified for airworthiness by CEMILAC .
 
Do yourself a favour & check for when was the RFP for HTT-40 released by the IAF & when was it certified for airworthiness by CEMILAC .
I was wrong about RFP. I meant approaching DAC for LSP order after price negotiation. It cannot happen before certification.
 
How can the DAC place an order without CCS approval ?
Screenshot 2023-03-08 at 9.33.37 PM.png

Screenshot 2023-03-08 at 9.35.31 PM.png

It was IOC, not CEMILAC.

Here is the report: https://cag.gov.in/uploads/download..._Defence_Air_force_Navy_34_2014_Chapter_2.pdf
 

I asked how can the DAC place an order without CCS approval NOW since it was obvious even without you enclosing the link & relevant document that the order released at the time of concurrent engg backfired & MoD / GoI forthwith stopped the practice .

Besides for Mk-2 the RFP can be released immediately after successful first flight with benchmarks set on awarding certification of successive performance parameters based on which orders can be placed while testing is on , on successful completion & certification of certain vital performance parameters.

That's different from concurrent engineering as the product is a finished product undergoing testing pending certification & not engineering / development pending testing.


 
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has castigated leading state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for serious lapses in the design and development of aircraft engines including the absence of feasibility studies and project reports, ignoring technical review by domain experts, use of “substitute” and not original materials in manufacturing, that lead to production delay and a loss of ₹159.23 crore as of March 2022.

In its 18th report on defence PSUs for the year ended March 2020 presented in parliament on Thursday, the auditors critically observed that “HAL did not envisage the risks associated with Project 1 which resulted in taking up several unplanned activities. The scope of the project was modified after the initiation of the D&D (Design and Development) activities. Further, HAL failed to anticipate the delay in availability of the originally planned material due to which the Core Engine 1 was manufactured using substitute materials.”

This resulted in, as per the CAG, HAL manufacturing a second Core Engine 2 with the originally planned material. “The expenditure of ₹159.23 crore incurred as of March 2022 was impaired,” the auditors revealed.

The CAG indictment comes after a parliamentary standing committee on defence in an earlier report had also come down heavy on HAL for the inordinate delay of Tejas fighter jet production which is impinging Indian Air Force preparedness due to depleting fleet strength.


The CAG in its report further highlighted deep flaws such as “incorrect assessment of the required thrust and lack of clarity on availability of A Type Engine leading to improper engine selection which in turn had a cascading effect on the D&D process of Project 2 (engine)“. Further, lack of clarity on the resolution of stall and spin issues and improper planning in the initial stages of the development process, led to a delay of more than 20 years in the project that was initiated in July 1999, the CAG pointed out.


The D&D of Aircraft 2 was initiated in 2014 with the internal resources of HAL for the avionics upgrade of the platform. “No business plan was drawn up either before embarking upon the project or during the progress of the project so as to ensure Recovery of Investment (RoI). As there was no firm commitment for Aircraft 1, the entire expenditure incurred amounting to ₹153.98 crore was impaired,” it said.

According to CAG, HAL took up the possible UAV ‘Project 3’ and the D&D was started without seeking specific requirements from potential customers and market exploration or survey was also not carried out either before or after completion. “Despite incurring an expenditure of ₹9.54 crore, Project 3 was not feasible for Defence security applications and therefore HAL could not penetrate the market in an emerging UAV industry,” the auditors remarked.

 
Six months on, HAL’s trainer aircraft for IAF awaits full safety certification
According to a government statement earlier, the induction of the HTT-40 aircraft is set to start September 2025 onwards and will continue till 15 March 2030.

Six months after the defence ministry signed a contract with the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), the indigenously-made aircraft is still awaiting the full airworthiness certification from the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), leading to concerns over a possible delay in its planned delivery schedule.

Sources in the government said that while CEMILAC had accorded provisional airworthiness compliance to HTT-40 with several “critical limitations”, the aircraft will have to obtain complete airworthiness certificate prior to start of production, which at present, HAL is in the process of obtaining.

CEMILAC—a regulatory body under the Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) is responsible for providing airworthiness certification of all military aircraft, helicopters, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), aero-engines and other air launched weapons thus certifying them for flight safety.
In March this year, the defence ministry signed a Rs6,800 crore contract with HAL to procure 70 HTT-40s aimed at filling a critical gap in the availability of aircraft for the initial training of pilots.
Sources in HAL said that the HTT-40 has already been certified against FAR 23 (Federal Aviation Regulation).

“The aircraft is yet to be certified against the ASQR (Air Staff Quality Requirements) issued by IAF. The draft “Release to Service Document” is submitted to RCMA (Regional Centre of Military Airworthiness.) This is expected to be cleared by October 2023,” a source in HAL said.

The source said that HTT 40 is abiding by the timeline, adding that major jigs and fixtures have been ordered by HAL and materials procurement activities are under way.

“All the aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years, say by 2029, though we cannot put the exact time frame for the first and the last deliveries,” the source said.

The major gap in the availability of adequate trainer aircraft for pilots in IAF became pronounced after the HAL-made trainer aircraft HPT-32 was grounded around 2010.
As an interim arrangement, the IAF had procured 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II planes from Switzerland under a contract signed in 2012 to meet the critical shortfall in pilots’ training, and in the absence of an indigenous basic trainer aircraft at the time, was provided with the option of placing a follow-on order of another 38 aircraft, the requirement for which was cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council.

A government statement earlier stated that the induction of the aircraft is set to start September 2025 onwards and will continue till 15 March 2030, adding that the procurement will also include a Full Mission Simulator for the aircraft to supplement the aerial training, allowing pilots to practice different profiles on ground prior to the sorties.

However, with no final certification yet, concerns have emerged over HTT-40 meeting the promised delivery schedule.

One official familiar with the developments in this matter told The Indian Express that a delay in getting indigenous basic trainer aircraft was among the factors contributing to the shortfall of pilots in the IAF.

“The IAF decided on procuring the aircraft to support the indigenous project even when it was yet to be certified and meet many performance parameters in training,” an official said, adding that the contract for HTT-40 was signed before the aircraft demonstrated entry and safe recovery from inverted spin—a mandatory requirement for undertaking training, the official added.
Officials, however, stressed on the requirement of the final certification, adding that HTT-40 will be flown solo by pilots learning to fly for the first time and thus needs to be a “forgiving” aircraft with a “very high degree of safety” built into it.

Manufactured by HAL and indigenously designed and developed by its Aircraft Research & Design Centre, HTT-40 is powered by a four bladed turbo-prop engine.
As per HAL, the aircraft will be fitted with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit, modern avionics and latest safety features, including a zero-zero ejection seat. It has a maximum speed of 450 kilometers per hour and a maximum service ceiling of six kilometers.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Ashwin