Rajnath Singh hails 'important milestone' as HAL hands over Dhruv-NG, LCA Trainer and HTT-40 to IAF

India marked a major milestone in indigenous aerospace capability on Friday as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited handed over three indigenously built platforms, the Dhruv-NG helicopter, LCA Tejas Trainer jets and the HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft, to the Indian Air Force and Pawan Hans Limited, asserting that the country is rapidly moving towards self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the handover ceremony, said, "Today, we are witnessing three important achievements together. First, the indigenously designed and developed Dhruv-Next Generation Civil helicopter is being handed over after being granted Type Certification by the DGCA. Second, the final batch of the LCA Final Operational Clearance, that is, FOC Trainer, is being handed over to the Indian Air Force. And third, today we are handing over the first aircraft of the HTT-40 Basic Trainer series production to the Indian Air Force."

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Milestone in self-reliance

Calling the event more than a routine handover, Singh said, "Today's day is not merely a formal handing-over ceremony. It is an important milestone in the direction of our progress towards India's indigenous aerospace capability, technological self-confidence and self-reliance."

Recalling India's past dependence on imports, the Defence Minister said, "If I talk about nearly a decade ago, projects in the defence sector were being carried out at a very slow pace. We used to be dependent on imports for most things, whether in the sense of technology or in the sense of products... After that, under the leadership of our Prime Minister, we began working with the core mantra of self-reliance."

Singh added that India's aerospace ambitions extend beyond military needs, stating, "The development of a strong aerospace industry should not be limited to merely fulfilling defence requirements. We need to develop such an ecosystem that can effectively address the requirements of both civil and military aviation sectors."

Call to scientists and engineers

Singh challenged the country's scientific and engineering community to develop next-generation technologies, saying, "Today I want to challenge our young scientists, engineers, designers, test pilots and technicians: 'To create technologies that do not exist today.' You have to develop such capabilities which will give India a leading position in the global aerospace technology landscape in the coming decade."

He also called for closer coordination between the public and private sectors, stating, "Now is the time that we do not see public versus private as a competition, but rather see the public and private sectors as complementary to each other," adding that indigenous production was critical as the nature of warfare shifts towards information-intensive, technology-driven operations.

Commending HAL, Singh said, "Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has indigenously constructed the HTT-40, and its first aircraft for series production has also been handed over to the IAF today... And most importantly, our dependence on foreign countries in this matter will now come to an end. And in the case of the HTT-40, another good thing is that, on the strength of its features, this aircraft also holds possibilities for export."

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The HTT-40 is a tandem-seat, fully aerobatic basic trainer powered by a Honeywell turboprop engine, fitted with a glass cockpit and Martin-Baker zero-zero ejection seats, and is being built under a contract for 70 aircraft signed with the IAF to replace the ageing HPT-32 Deepak fleet.

The LCA Trainer is the twin-seat variant of the indigenous Tejas fighter jet used for advanced combat flight instruction, while the Dhruv-NG is the next-generation civil variant of HAL's Advanced Light Helicopter, developed for roles including offshore and passenger operations.

The handover included two LCA FOC Trainer aircraft to the IAF, completing twin-seater deliveries under the Final Operational Clearance contract, four Dhruv-NG helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited, and the first HTT-40 Basic Trainer aircraft to the IAF, marking the start of deliveries under the 70-aircraft contract.

(With inputs from agencies)