IAF rejects ‘extravagant’ HAL basic trainer aircraft project

[vivINDIAN]

Pushing for the procurement of a foreign basic trainer aircraft for its rookie pilots, IAF on Friday, however, rejected a similar indigenous plane being developed by HAL saying public money cannot be wasted on such “extravagant” projects.

The statement by Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne at the IAF Day press conference comes against the backdrop of a tussle between IAF and the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd over whether to procure an imported basic trainer aircraft or to develop it indigenously.

The IAF is in favour of procuring the imported Pilatus PC-7 basic trainer aircraft while the defence PSU wants to develop the aircraft indigenously.

“IAF is very clear that there has to be only one trainer. We cannot have these extravagant projects. If we have two types of trainers, it costs extra expenditure on infrastructure, training, simulators and maintenance. It is all public money, you cannot waste it on having two to three types of projects,” Browne said.

He said IAF’s training module was already set and the force did not want any complications to crop up in it with different sets of aircraft.

Browne said the PSU was not providing the force with what it actually required in the form of the Intermediate Jet Trainer, a decade-old project which is facing delays.

He said that the life of the Kiran Mk II aircraft was three or four more years and its replacement had to be found very soon.

On the strategic reach of IAF, he said that the newly- acquired C-17 heavylift aircraft had delivered cargo in Tajikistan and would soon be flying to Rwanda to provide equipment to Indian Army’s peacekeeping forces in neighbouring Congo.

On Tajikistan, he said IAF maintains a small crew of personnel at Ayni air base in the central Asian country to help it maintain the infrastructure there which was created a few years back by India.

 

[Killswitch]

I think its time standardization became a priority. Supply lines need to be simplified and fast. One trainer helps move towards that.

Imagine if the forces had 2 or 3 fighters instead of the current set up (Mig 21, Mig 29, Mirage, SU 30 MKI, LCA, Rafale, etc.)

 

[Abingdonboy]

GOOD! Stick to your guns IAF, the MoD is only trying to force this project down the IAF's throats now that HAL have utterly ballsed up the entire project from start to now.

 

[janon]

Obviously. Two years after the IAF gets 75 trainers, HAL promises to pull up a bunny from the hat. This will repeat with the IJT now - pilots and instructors will start dying, and IAF will finally decide to buy a cheap IJT from abroad, and then HAL will make all sorts of grandiose promises of giving a world beating IJT in just a few months. Why not give a simple one that does the job when the need is felt? Which happens to be now?

 

[Raje amar]

I hate this tussale between two renounced organisations. HAL must focused on project in hand rather than diverting their resources non many projects.

First finish IJT Kiran. Then talk of other project.

But its not HAL at fault alone. Its the IAF that uletred its Qualitative requirements to favour the import. They also must stick to the requirements. And when ever the requirements are altered preference must be given to HAL along with the required time.

 

[Raje amar]

Double post.

 

[Raje amar]

Sorry my bad.