Air Force puts off talks on production of new trainer jets

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force decision to postpone negotiating contracts for production of a limited series of indigenous Intermediate Jet Trainer aircraft HJT 36 might delay the phasing out of the outdated Kiran Mark II trainer aircrafts and the MiG 21s from the Air Force.

The project for design and development of the HJT 36 was sanctioned in July 1999 by the Centre for progressively phasing out Kiran trainers used by the IAF for stage II training of the pilots due to the expiry of the latter's structural life.

The '60s vintage indigenous Kiran Mark II is also the mainstay of the Suryakiran aerobatic formation team touted by the IAF as its ambassador.

Besides, the induction of the IJTs would avoid the fatalities due to the recurring crashes of the old vintage MiG 21s as an intermediate trainer aircraft will better train the pilots from graduating to the combat aircrafts like MiG 21s from the HPT 32 basic trainer, a top source said.

The IJT proposal included features like better performance, higher manoeuvrability, lower operating cost, higher armament carrying capability with modern systems and avionics.

Two prototypes of the IJT have been developed and 180 sorties were completed by the end of May 2005 and the results from the flight test were encouraging and parameters achieved were close to the estimated performance level, according to the Defence Ministry.

Techno-commercial proposals were forwarded to the IAF for manufacturing 12 IJT "limited series production aircraft" but the contract negotiations are yet to be finalised.

Even the Standing Committee on Defence in its annual report for the year 2005-06 has advised the ministry to expedite the production of IJTs and fix a time frame for the same. The induction of IJTs in IAF and subsequent phasing out of the outdated Kiran Mark IIs and the ageing MiG 21 aircraft will cut down on recurring accidents.

Over 40 per cent of MiG 21s inducted into Air Force since 1963 have crashed, causing substantial loss of trained fighter pilots as well as civilians apart from the aircrafts. This apart, even a trainer aircraft of the famed Suryakiran team crashed this week killing both the pilots on board and might go the MiG 21 way soon, the source said.

The Standing Committee on Defence in its latest report says: "The committee desires that for development of IJT, a time frame be fixed and should be strictly adhered to so that cost escalation etc should be checked."