Cabinet okays procurement of HAL basic trainers; L&T bags training ships deal

The Cabinet has approved procurement of basic trainer aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL), marking the end of foreign dependency for such aircraft, and has also given the go-ahead for construction of three cadet training ships by L&T.

The deal for 70 basic trainer aircraft - the HTT 40 - is valued at Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years, defence ministry officials said.

"The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of IAF for training of newly inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated gear and training aids including simulators," one of them said.


The air force has a requirement for 106 such aircraft to train pilots who then go on more advanced platforms.

At present, HTT 40 has 56% indigenous content, which will progressively increase to over 60%, officials said.

"The procurement has the potential to provide direct employment to approximately 1,500 personnel and indirect employment for up to 3,000 people spread over more than 100 MSMEs," an official said.

The cabinet has also approved a contract with L&T for acquisition of three cadet training ships in a deal valued at Rs 3,108.09 crore. Delivery of the ships is to commence in 2026. The ships will be constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli in Chennai.

HAL has invested Rs 550 crore in the development project for the HTT 40 that included extensive spin and stall trials considered essential for ensuring safety of pilots.

IAF had committed to buy 70 of the aircraft and an additional requirement of 36 had been added after the defence ministry banned Swiss company Pilatus that supplied the current set of PC 7 Mk II trainers. In 2012, IAF had placed orders for 75 Pilatus PC 7 Mk II aircraft for Rs 2,900 crore but while the aircraft were delivered, Pilatus was banned due to a CBI probe into alleged corruption in the deal.