Indian Air Force issues RFP for 70 HTT-40 basic trainers

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.

HTT-40 [HAL via Twitter]
A company-operated HAL HTT-40 basic trainer performs at Aero India 2019. The Indian Air Force issued an RFP to HAL on February 4, 2021, regarding the acquisition of at least 70 examples of the HTT-40 to fulfil its basic trainer requirements. HAL via Twitter

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.