Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has received a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the Indian Air Force regarding the acquisition of at least 70 HTT-40s to fulfil the air arm’s basic trainer requirements.
The documents surrounding the RFP were handed over to HAL on February 4 – during the second day of the Aero India trade show and exhibition, held at Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bengaluru. The RFP is for an initial order of 70 indigenously-designed HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft and features an option for the provision of an additional 38 examples. If contracted, the production of up to 108 HTT-40s for the IAF would take place at HAL’s manufacturing facilities in Bengaluru and Nashik.
A press release from the Indian government’s Press Information Bureau (PIB) noted that the RFP has come less than six years after the HTT-40 completed its first flight. It adds that the basic trainer “will have more than 60% indigenous content and is supported by agencies such as [the] Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Regional Director Aeronautical Quality Assurance (RDAQA) [and the] Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment (ASTE), among others.”
HAL boasts that the HTT-40 basic trainer has a maximum take-off weight (MTOW) of 2,800kg, a range of 1,000km and can fly at speeds of up to 450km/h. It states that the all-metal aircraft employs a tandem-seat cockpit, which features air conditioning, two zero-zero ejection seats and multifunctional displays (MFDs). The platform is powered by a single Honeywell Garrett TPE331-12B turboprop engine, which is complemented by a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system.