The Indian defence aviation industry has taken another step in training fighter pilots to fly supersonic fighter aircraft.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), which has so far imported 14 UK-built Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJT), on Thursday took delivery of the first indigenously-built Hawk-Mk132 from Bangalore-based defence public sector unit Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).

The aircraft is the first of 42 Hawk aircraft being built under licence by HAL.

The Hawk is expected to help in the smoother transition from the trainer aircraft to the fighter aircraft before the pilot takes to the cockpit. Till now, the pilots were being trained on the HPT 32, the propeller-driven primary trainer. From that they graduated to fighter aircraft. This was reason why there was a higher proportion of accidents, said Fali H Major, air chief marshal, IAF.

To meet its training requirements, IAF is acquiring 66 Hawk Mk-132. A total of 24 machines would be supplied by BAE Systems in flyaway condition to the IAF and the remaining 42 will be built by HAL aircraft division.

Another 57 Hawk aircraft are in the pipeline for the IAF and Navy, where 40 of them will go to the IAF and 17 to the Navy. The aircraft will join the fleet of BAE Systems-built Hawks that have recently commenced training the next generation of IAF pilots at Air Force Station, Bidar.

The Mk871 variant of the Adour Mk871 engines are being produced by the HAL at its Bangalore facility. Mk871 variant of the engine shares a high degree of commonality with the Adour Mk811 that powers the IAF Jaguar fleet, while also incorporating some of the latest civil and military engine technologies.

According to Martin Fausset, managing director, Rolls-Royce Defence Aerospace, “The handover of the first Adour-powered Hawk AJT produced by HAL at Bangalore marks the beginning the latest chapter of our 52-year partnership.”

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