The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in a press release on Wednesday.
The HTT-40 is a turboprop aircraft and is designed to have good low-speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness. This fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer has air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot re-fueling, running changeover, and zero-zero ejection seats.
The MoD said that the aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of IAF for the training of newly inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated equipment and training aids including simulators. The ministry said, “Being an indigenous solution, the Aircraft is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.”
“The HTT-40 contains about 56 per cent indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60 per cent through indigenisation of major components and subsystems. The HAL would engage Indian private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain. The procurement has the potential to provide direct employment to about 1,500 personnel and indirect employment for up to 3,000 people spread over more than 100 MSMEs,” defence minister added.
Government To Sign Contract With L&T For Three Cadet Training Ships
On Wednesday, the Cabinet also approved a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships, at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore, under buy (Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)) category. The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence in 2026, the MoD said.
These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy. The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations. The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), the ministry said.
The ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. The project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage the active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs.
According to the Defence Minister, “With the majority of the equipment and systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers, these vessels will be a proud flag bearer of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the Government.”