Plagued by scams and allegations of irregularities in procurement of defence equipment from abroad and especially in the recent past, the Minister of Defence has unequivocally stated the intent of the government to move aggressively towards indigenisation in the Indian aerospace industry

While Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is in the process of finalising the project to produce a basic turboprop trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF), seized by urgency, the IAF has projected a case for the procurement of 37 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainer aircraft beyond the fleet of 75 already ordered last year. The IAF is facing a crisis in this segment of its inventory, but the problem has not developed overnight. In fact, it has been in the making for years duly aggravated by lack of foresight, focus and proper planning at the level of service headquarters and the lack of coordination with HAL. If the IAF is without an indigenous basic trainer aircraft today, it is certainly not on account of the lack of capability of the Indian aerospace industry. In the 1950s, the HAL provided the IAF with the HT-2, a single piston engine trainer powered by the Cirrus Major III 155 horsepower engine, a product of a totally indigenous effort that rendered yeomen service for about four decades. The HT-2 was replaced with the HPT-32, once again designed, developed and produced by HAL. Powered by the American 260-horsepower AVCO Lycoming O-540 piston engine, deliveries of the HPT-32 began in 1984, five years before the HT-2 fleet retired from service.

In 1984, HAL unveiled a prototype of the HTT-34 at the Farnborough International Air Show. This new aircraft was essentially an HPT-32 airframe, powered by a more powerful 420 shaft horsepower Allison 250-B17D turboprop engine. Compared to the HPT-32, performance of the HTT-34 was reported to be far superior. But for some reason not easy to fathom, the IAF did not appreciate this rare initiative on the part of HAL and did not evince interest in the new product. The project was shelved and in due course, was consigned to the archives. Thereafter, there was no further initiative either from the IAF or from HAL with regard to replacement of the HPT-32 fleet which in the normal course would have become due by around 2020. In the fitness of things, there should have been a definitive plan in place by 2010 if not earlier for the replacement of the HPT-32 fleet. Sadly, there was none!

Thus when, for entirely justifiable reasons, the HPT-32 fleet was grounded in July 2009 ten years before it would have been due to be phased out in the normal course, the IAF was left high and dry. However, it was not as if the premature withdrawal of the fleet came as a total surprise. In the nearly 25 years of service in the IAF, there were over 70 accidents on the HPT-32 out of which 17 were attributable to engine failure due to interruption of fuel flow to the engine. Tragically, 19 pilots perished in the mishaps. Several modifications were carried out on the aircraft by HAL to solve the problem of interruption of fuel flow in certain conditions of flight, but none were successful. AVCO Lycoming refused to join hands to solve the problem unless HAL reversed all the modifications carried out by them. Clearly, this was not a practical possibility and hence in the resulting stalemate, the IAF was left with no option other than to take the very difficult step of premature withdrawal of the HPT-32 fleet. The IAF was not prepared to accept further loss of life.

As basic flying training was in complete disarray, the government had no option but to permit the IAF to procure on fast track a fleet of basic trainer aircraft from the global market. Simultaneously, HAL was tasked to produce a basic trainer in conformity with the specifications laid down by the IAF for the imported product. In 2009, HAL did project a plan to develop in five years such a trainer dubbed as the HTT-40, in collaboration with a foreign partner and even floated a request for information in 2010. A mock-up of the proposed machine, which had a striking resemblance with the Pilatus PC-7, was displayed at the Aero India air show at Yelahanka in February 2013.