HAL set to deliver first batch of delayed trainer aircraft to Indian Air Force

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is ready to deliver the first three HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, ending a delay that left the state-run company unable to deliver any aircraft scheduled for the 2025-26 financial year.

Two of the aircraft were built in Bengaluru and one in Nashik, officials familiar with the development said. The Indian Air Force ordered 70 HTT-40 aircraft for ₹6,838 crore three years ago to train rookie pilots.

HAL had been due to deliver 12 trainers during fiscal 2025-26, but a shortage of engines prevented the company from handing over any aircraft. US company Honeywell recently overcame supply chain bottlenecks and delivered the first batch of TPE331-12B turboprop engines. It has also assured HAL that future supplies will arrive on schedule.

Honeywell's four-year, $100 million contract covers the supply and manufacture of 88 engines and kits. The company will supply 16 units, while HAL will build the remainder under a technology-transfer arrangement. HAL can now produce 20 HTT-40 aircraft annually at its Bengaluru and Nashik facilities.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated production lines for the HTT-40 and LCA-Mk1A in Nashik last October. The HTT-40 is intended to support the air force's existing training structure, in which all new pilots begin Stage I on Swiss-origin Pilatus PC-7 MkII aircraft. Pilots then move into fighter, transport or helicopter streams. Fighter pilots continue to Stage II on PC-7 MkII and Kiran Mk-1A trainers before advancing to Stage III on British-origin Hawk advanced jet trainers.