BEML and Alenia Aeronautica sign MoU to develop Basic Trainer aircraft

BANGALORE: State-owned BEML Ltd which focuses on the defence sector has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Italian aerospace major Alenia Aeronautica to design, manufacture and sell a basic trainer aircraft, the Bangalore-based company said on Thursday.

The proposed aircraft could also be offered to the IAF as a replacement for its current basic trainer, the HPT-32 Deepak, according to a statement by the company.

The MoU signed by BEML Chairman and Managing Director V RS Natarajan and Allesandro Franzoni, chief operating officer, Aelina Aeronautica, envisages a "mutual collaboration for designing, manufacturing and selling a new primary/basic training aircraft on a New Generation Screener," according to the press release.

Earlier this month, Air Chief Marshal PV Naik announced that Swiss aviation company Pilatu, through its offering PC-7, had emerged as the lowest bidder in the IAF's Basic Trainer competition, which calls for the procurement of 75 aircrafts, a deal estimated at about $1-billion. Separately, defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has been given the order to design and manufacture a further 106 aircrafts.

The IAF's entire fleet of basic trainers, HPT-32 Deepak has been grounded since 2009, following the death of almost 20 pilots in recent times.