Defence Minister Rajnath Singh throughout the signing of a contract between Ministry of Defence and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft, in New Delhi, on March 7, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The Defence Ministry on March 7 sealed a deal with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to procure 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft at a price of greater than ₹6,800 crore for the Indian Air Force.
The Ministry additionally finalised a contract with the Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for acquisition of three cadet coaching ships price greater than ₹3,100 crore. Both the procurement proposals have been cleared by the Prime Minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) 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 stated.
While the HAL will present 70 HTT-40 aircraft over a interval of six years, the supply of ships is scheduled to begin from 2026.
Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane, alongside with different senior civil and navy officers of the Ministry, and representatives of the HAL and L&T have been current on the contract signing ceremony.
The HTT-40 is a turbo prop aircraft possessing good low pace dealing with qualities and offers higher coaching effectiveness, in accordance to the Ministry.
“The HTT-40 contains approximately 56% indigenous content which will progressively increase to more than 60% through indigenisation of major components and subsystems,” officers stated.
“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 Ministry stated in an announcement.
“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,” it stated.
It stated the HAL would interact the home non-public trade, together with MSMEs, in its provide chain. “The procurement has the potential to provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people spread over more than 100 MSMEs,” the Ministry stated.
On the cadet coaching ships, the Ministry stated they’ll cater to the coaching of officer cadets, together with ladies, at sea after their basic coaching to meet the longer term necessities of the Indian Navy. “The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations,” it stated.
“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 stated.
The ships will probably be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. “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 stated.
