The Defence Ministry on Tuesday signed a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft at a cost of over Rs 6,800 crore for the Indian Air Force. In another deal, the ministry finalised a contract with the Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) for acquisition of three cadet training ships worth over Rs 3,100 crore. Prime Minister Modi-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) had cleared these two procurement proposals on March 1. "The ministry of defence on March 7 signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft and three cadet training ships respectively in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh," the ministry said. Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, along with other senior civil and military officials of the ministry, and representatives of the HAL and L&T were present at the contract signing ceremony.
- The 70 new HTT-40 aircraft will be delivered over a period of six years while the delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from 2026.
- HTT-40 is a turbo prop aircraft possessing good low speed handling qualities and provides better training effectiveness.
- HTT-40 contains approximately 56 per cent indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60 per cent through indigenisation of major components and subsystems.
- "The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force for training of newly-inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated equipment and training aids including simulators," the Defence Ministry said.
- "Being an indigenous solution, the aircraft is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years," the statement mentioned.
- The deal said that HAL will engage the domestic private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain, during the production of HTT-40 aircraft.
- "The procurement has the potential to provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people spread over more than 100 MSMEs," the ministry said.
- "The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations," it said.
- "The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people from distress areas, Search and Rescue and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations. The delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from 2026," the ministry said.
- "The project will generate an employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs," the ministry said.
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