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

Ministry of Defence gives exemption to IAF on Pilatus business suspension

By Dinakar Peri
NEW DELHI, 27 October 2019 02:30 IST
TH27PILATUSPC-7MK-II

In July, the Defence Ministry suspended all business dealings with Pilatus for a year on graft charges. | Photo Credit : Nagara Gopal

PC-7 basic trainer aircraft of IAF faced shortage of spares and maintenance issues

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has partially revoked suspension against business dealings with Pilatus Aircraft Ltd of Switzerland following representation from the Indian Air Force (IAF) as its fleet of PC-7 Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) was deprived of spares and maintenance.

“The service headquarters concerned requested for review of the order for sustaining of flying training on PC-7 MK-II BTA. In view of the fact that the IAF needs spares and maintenance support for 75 BTA already in use and appreciating its dependence on Pilatus Aircraft Ltd. for spares and maintenance for 75 BTA, it has been decided to review the suspension order…” an MoD note dated October 7 said.

In July this year, the MoD suspended all business dealings with Pilatus over allegations of corruption and violation of the pre-contract integrity pact of April 9, 2010 for a period of one year.

The Ministry’s exemption is applicable to the following: progress case to finalise the follow-on support contract (FoSC) on the revenue channel; to continue with the ongoing spares and maintenance supply cases on the revenue channel, where supply orders have already been placed; to progress cases for supply of spares and maintenance support that are “necessary to ensure uninterrupted sustaining” of the PC-7 Mk-II aircraft and its associated equipment, including simulators.

India signed a ₹4,000 crore deal with Pilatus in 2012 for 75 PC-7 MK-II aircraft and deliveries were completed by the end of 2015.

The MoD stated that the exemption from operation of suspension order is being granted subject to certain stipulations. “Air headquarters should obtain mean time between failures (MTBF) linked warranty within 3-4 months,” it stated.

Stipulations also state that the vendor discharges offsets without further loss of time as the prescribed time period has already elapsed and contractual obligations by the vendor is immediately undertaken and completed. “Exemption from operation of suspension order will have no impact on various probes by investigation agencies,” it further added.

The BTA is used for Stage I flying in the three-stage training schedule of the IAF to train rookie pilots. Second-stage training is done on Kiran trainers and third-stage on the BAE Hawk advanced jet trainers before the trainees move on to fly supersonic fighter jets.

Ministry of Defence gives exemption to IAF on Pilatus business suspension
Honestly this was expected with the knee jerk reaction of the MoD - Wouldnt be surprise Pilatus quoting heavy for maintenance

@randomradio ... your thoughts!?
 
Harsh Vardhan Thakur (@hvtiaf) Tweeted:
@pegasus191 @nileshjrane @sakthivel_cit93 Though it is not certified yet, IJT carries 1.5 ton load on 5 stations. Integration done. Can carry 250kg HSLD bombs. IJT is a feasible light attack platform.

HTT has the potential by virtue of its turbo-prop (excess power). If called for, weaponization will be done. Harsh Vardhan Thakur on Twitter ( )


Harsh Vardhan Thakur (@hvtiaf) Tweeted:
@pegasus191 @nileshjrane @sakthivel_cit93 Correction - 1 ton on 4 stations. ( )
 
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Bit old but still :

Terrific Mid-Air Video Captures HAL’s HTT-40 Trainer Nailing Crucial Spin Tests

By Shiv Aroor Oct 02 2019, 2:21 pm

Nailing a set of tests that bedeviled and all but killed a parallel aircraft development program was always going to be a huge task. But that’s precisely what India’s HAL has managed to do in the month gone by with its HTT-40 basic propeller trainer. The HTT-40 has completed spin tests to the left and right — a manoeuver in which the aircraft is deliberately thrown into a dangerous uncontrolled spin and then recovered safely into level flight. With the Indian Air Force closely watching, HAL has put out an excellent little video (above) of the tests with on-board camera conducted between September 7 and 29, detailing every aspect of the spins.

Group Captain Harsh Vardhan Thakur, deputy chief test pilot at HAL says, “Spinning HAL’s HTT-40 aircraft, departure and high-alpha testing is invariably regarded as the most extreme experimental testing phase during certification of an aircraft. Smooth spin is a result of many optimisations and deep explorations into extreme edges of the envelope.”

The successful spin tests will come as big relief to the Indian Air Force, and validates plans to begin paperwork to order 70 HTT-40 trainers from HAL. The Indian Air Force, which currently operates 75 Swiss-made Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II propeller trainers, needs more — and had the option to pick up more 38 more, but cannot do so following India’s decision to blacklist the European airframer on the back of corruption allegations in the original deal. With doors closed on more PC-7 Mk.II, the imperative on the HTT-40 (which will share basic training duties alongside the PC-7) has become much greater. The successful tests releases some of the pressure and anxiety. HAL too gets to breathe just a little easier.

From the right-hand spin on 7th September to completion of spin trials with today’s left-hand spins, required 30 test flights. That’s both very few flights in total, yet also a staggering effort over just three weeks,” tweeted aviation analyst, author and photographer Angad Singh.

The IAF’s impending endorsement of the HTT-40 is a long way from the open hostility displayed towards the platform only six years ago. In 2013, then IAF chief N.A.K. Browne had said from a stage at the Aero India show, that the IAF did not want or need the HTT-40. A shocked HAL listened in silence as the chief of its principal customer revealed that HAL had been officially advised to close the program. Things have clearly changed dramatically since then.

The passing of this indispensable test in a trainer aircraft comes also as a major confidence boost to HAL, given what happened to HAL’s related development of a jet-powered Intermediate Jet Trainer, the HJT-36 Sitara. This trainer was grounded following the crash of a prototype that was put down to the platform’s inability to emerge from an uncontrolled spin. The program remained grounded for years before returning to the air earlier this year with major airframe modifications.

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The HJT-36 before and after modifications.

The inability of the HJT-36 to prove itself has compelled the IAF to recast its training regimen. The IAF currently conducts basic training of PC-7s, intermediate jet training on old HJT-16 Kirans and advanced training on the Hawk Mk.132 jet trainers. With the Kirans not available in enough numbers to effect intermediate training — and with their service end quite near — the PC-7 Mk.II trainers have taken over much of the intermediate phase of training of pilot cadets. And with no intermediate training jets on the horizon, it seems like this will be a training configuration for the foreseeable future. The HTT-40s, once in service, will also presumably be used for elements of intermediate training of pilots. At one point, the IAF even considered scouting global sources for an intermediate jet trainer, though those plans have evaporated for now. In 2012, the US Government had even explored the possibility of bringing India on board as a partner on the then nascent T-X program to replace the Northrop T-38, though nothing ever came of it. Boeing-Saab’s T-7 Red Hawk ultimately won the contest last year. In July this year, IAF chief briefly created buzz when he strapped into a Yak-130 jet trainer while on an official visit to Russia.

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With the HTT-40 now well on its way towards certification, HAL will need to take enormous care to ensure there are no bumps. While the HJT-36 continues in flight test, earlier this year Livefist scooped HAL’s plans for what it calls the Supersonic Omnirole Trainer Aircraft (SPORT), a pared down version of the LCA Tejas customised for fast jet training.

https://www.livefistdefence.com/201...tt-40-trainer-nailing-crucial-spin-tests.html
 
@randomradio , this is final proof Pilatus isn't coming & @Ashwin has fallen from his chair laughing at everything you've hurled including the kitchen sink in the past year, in justification of additional Pilatus esp to justify no HTT. Bless you Eshwin. You may collect yourself from the floor & resume your duty as administrator. Such displays of triumph & jubilation doesn't sit well with such lofty responsibilities.
 
@randomradio , this is final proof Pilatus isn't coming & @Ashwin has fallen from his chair laughing at everything you've hurled including the kitchen sink in the past year, in justification of additional Pilatus esp to justify no HTT. Bless you Eshwin. You may collect yourself from the floor & resume your duty as administrator. Such displays of triumph & jubilation doesn't sit well with such lofty responsibilities.

Nothing wrong with it.

It was always go for HTT-40 or an import. PC-7 is dead because of corruption, Pilatus screwed up.
 
People - just a reminder that the HTT40 is yet to achieve IOC - and 2021 to start production isnt very far and hope to see this frame flying in Tipnis Grey (or training colours) soon

BUT

With the DoT doing a Half turn and having a partial ban on Pilatus removed (see post #380) - and IF (IF) there is a delay of the HTT40 - i wouldn't be surprised to see More PC7s order as an Interim
 
People - just a reminder that the HTT40 is yet to achieve IOC - and 2021 to start production isnt very far and hope to see this frame flying in Tipnis Grey (or training colours) soon

BUT

With the DoT doing a Half turn and having a partial ban on Pilatus removed (see post #380) - and IF (IF) there is a delay of the HTT40 - i wouldn't be surprised to see More PC7s order as an Interim
Not happening. The removal of the ban was to ensure steady & cheap supplies of genuine spares from the OEM instead of routing them thru 3rd party entities.
 
People - just a reminder that the HTT40 is yet to achieve IOC - and 2021 to start production isnt very far and hope to see this frame flying in Tipnis Grey (or training colours) soon

BUT

With the DoT doing a Half turn and having a partial ban on Pilatus removed (see post #380) - and IF (IF) there is a delay of the HTT40 - i wouldn't be surprised to see More PC7s order as an Interim

If Pilatus was clean, HTT-40 didn't make sense. Now that Pilatus has been caught in a corruption scandal, they have zero chance of getting new orders. So the only choice is HTT-40 or imports. If HTT-40 is successfully developed, then HTT-40 it is. If HTT-40 fails, then imports it is. And even when it comes to imports, the tender process itself will take years to finish, so even if HTT-40 fails the first round of user trials, whenever that is, HAL will still have the time to fix any issue, after all, it's only a basic trainer.

Anyway it's a closed chapter for Pilatus now. Lifting the ban has only to do with maintaining the current fleet.
 
Shouldn't they though of that BEFORE issuing the Ban???

First you ban completely for a year, and then you ease some restrictions or remove the ban based on how important the company is, with 6-month reviews. That's how the current rules are. The days of blanket banning companies for years together are over.

And since Pilatus was a UPA deal, the NDA won't try to fix problems if there are alternatives available for the technology. After that Pilatus and the offending party will become the opposition's punching bag forever. Politics.
 
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Doesn't this show the pathetic situation in our forces, where support to indigenous products is based on individual preference of the chief? Somewhere down the line we will have to create and sustain institutional preference for indian weapons, till then the current choice of priority for various indian products will be ad hoc and temporary. So sad
 
Doesn't this show the pathetic situation in our forces, where support to indigenous products is based on individual preference of the chief? Somewhere down the line we will have to create and sustain institutional preference for indian weapons, till then the current choice of priority for various indian products will be ad hoc and temporary. So sad
Cant blame the forces either. No one prefers losing lives of our soldiers just cz we forced them to go indigenous. Everyone knows lives lost due to shitty INSAS.
Let indigenous products win contract after competing with their foreign counterparts.
Instead of removing competition altogether , we need to focus on facing and winning that competition
 
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