IAF Furious Over HAL's Star Trainer

[thestringshredder]

An aircraft conspicuous by its absence at Aero India this year was HAL's intermediate jet trainer, the HJT-36 Sitara. Not surprising. With the amount of derision the aircraft's intended customer, the Indian Air Force, has (quite justifiably) poured on the programme recently, HAL considered it prudent to restrict the aircraft's presence at the show to a tiny model (see photo) tucked away in a corner of its otherwise quite expansive pavilion.

A day after HAL chairman R.K. Tyagi's press conference at Aero India, where he described the HJT-36's turnaround (645 total test flights, of which 185 were in 2012, 25 in January 2013 alone -- and a targeted initial operational clearance 10 months from now) and professed confidence in the platform, Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne responded. In response to a question I asked him about the HJT-36, Browne said, "We have been disappointed. It has been in development for 8-9 years, and has now been stalled for so long. There are engine issues too. It has only been cleared for 100 hours of flying before overhaul. It needs to be expanded to 1,200-1,400 hours." (Flight International's Greg Waldron quotes me in his detailed report on the HAL-IAF trainer spat).

The IJT programme, to be fair, has had truly rotten luck: Two take-off/landing accidents and a full-blown prototype crash that grounded the programme nearly indefinitely. There are those who believe the programme is one crash/accident away from being shelved. There have been reports about the very real possibility that the IAF may already be working out a Plan B in case the IJT simply doesn't materialise -- either by reconfiguring its training regimen to dispense with Stage-2 training, or to simply look for suitable jet-powered aircraft from abroad. The situation hasn't been lost on aircraft manufacturers the world over. The Italians, Russians, British and Americans are fully in touch with just where this could go.

Link - Livefist: IAF Furious Over HAL's Star Trainer

 

[LiberalAtheist]

Why not just buy them from the russians like you normally do

 

[Arav_Rana]

DRDO has expertise in making small model . 1 more model on the way .

 

[notsuperstitious]

India is working on much more ambitious programs in the aviation field. So what do we achieve by spreading our resources to this program? In terms of technology - NIL, in terms of commercial benefits - NIL, in terms of meeting IAF requirements on time NIL.

Then why are we continuing with such programs that require management time that could be used someplace else. Learning to cut losses is critical to running successful programs.

 

[Myth_buster_1]

Thanks to European market access.

 

[janon]

Very misleading article.

The current stall in the program is only due to the delays in getting certifications for the Al-55I engine, and not due to faults in the IJT itself. The IJT has been flying without any issues for the past year. Once all the certifications are received for the engine, the IJT will be fit for operational service. It can happen within a year, as mentioned in the article. There is no need to go for a foreign purchase when we have successfully developed this ourselves.

 

[chauvunist]

HMMMM so where are the Indian Members claiming about mighty advance of Indian technology....

 

[Ayush]

I am furios too.

 

[janon]

Why not just buy them from the russians like you normally do

We haven't bought trainers from Russia. The current IJT is Kiran, designed and built by HAL. The AJT is Hawk, from Britain (built at HAL).

 

[notsuperstitious]

HMMMM so where are the Indian Members claiming about mighty advance of Indian technology....

A reasonably logical person would know that a success is an advance, but a failure is not a retreat when it comes to technology. So yes India has our successes and some programs have not been successful, however thats part and parcel of the game.

So yes we will claim advances in technology, regularly, but not on this thread that talks about a program thats in trouble.

Now that was not all that difficult to comprehend, was it?

 

[Norboo]

There have been reports about the very real possibility that the IAF may already be working out a Plan B in case the IJT simply doesn't materialise -- either by reconfiguring its training regimen to dispense with Stage-2 training, or to simply look for suitable jet-powered aircraft from abroad. The situation hasn't been lost on aircraft manufacturers the world over. The Italians, Russians, British and Americans are fully in touch with just where this could go.

Hasn't India already got the British Hawk jet trainers? Or is the IAF looking for something in-between?

 

[Screambowl]

BC itny engineers hain India main... sab nikkamey hai kya hum???

 

[chauvunist]

A reasonably logical person would know that a success is an advance, but a failure is not a retreat when it comes to technology. So yes India has our successes and some programs have not been successful, however thats part and parcel of the game.

So yes we will claim advances in technology, regularly, but not on this thread that talks about a program thats in trouble.

Now that was not all that difficult to comprehend, was it?

Go through this thread and read the Boasts of your fellow countrymen and you will understand what i was refering to..

http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian...iated-indias-mmrca-program-3.html#post3906287

 

[janon]

Go through this thread and read the Boasts of your fellow countrymen and you will understand what i was refering to..

http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian...iated-indias-mmrca-program-3.html#post3906287

Agreed, India can't match Pakistan in technology. Happy?

Now I request you to leave the thread alone, if you have nothing constructive to add.

 

[nForce]

HMMMM so where are the Indian Members claiming about mighty advance of Indian technology....

Ohh.. here comes the Watch dog.

My Dear fellow,we are atleast trying to build one,and we have our own problems and setbacks.Clearly enough,India is not among the most technologically advanced nations so far as aviation technology is concerned.But we are resilient and determined enough to carry on,keep pushing.
Once YOU have laid the foundation stone of something similar, you come and try to school us,till then,take a hike.

Just to give you a glimpse of our capabilities ::

This is how we started :

This is how we do it nowadays :

Get back to me,once you have done something like that.