Remembering ' Marut '

[Nirvana]

HAL HF-24 Marut - A Tribute to a " Forgotten " fighter

The Hindustan Aeronautics 'HF-24 Marut' [Spirit of Tempest] was an Indian fighter-bomber aircraft of the 1960s. It was India's first jet aircraft.

History

The Marut was designed by the famed German designer Kurt Tank, but never realised its full potential due to insufficient power. The basic design was developed by Kurt Tank's team during Tank's days developing jet aircraft in Argentina, which was to be called Pulqui III, as a follow on for the Pulqui II. Tank departed Argentina for India carrying the Marut's concept with him. Although originally conceived to operate in the vicinity of Mach 2, the aircraft in fact turned out to be barely capable of reaching Mach 1, due to the lack of suitably powered engines for the airframe. After the Indian Government conducted its first nuclear tests at Pokhran, international pressure prevented the import of better engines, or at times, even spares for the Orpheus engines. This would be one of the main reasons for this aircraft's early demise.

It was used in combat in the ground attack role, where its safety features such as manual controls whenever the hydraulic systems failed and twin engines increased survivability.

A total of 147 aircraft were built, including 18 two-seat trainers. The last examples were withdrawn from service in 1990.

Given the limited number of Marut units, most Marut squadrons were considerably over-strength for the duration of their lives. According to Brian de Magray, at peak strength No.10 Squadron had on charge 32 Maruts, although the squadron probably did not hold a unit-establishment of more than 16. All in all, the Marut squadrons acquitted themselves very well in the 1971 war. The Marut, as an aircraft, was shown to be tough and capable. No aircraft were ever lost in air-to-air combat. However, 4 were lost to ground fire and two were lost on the ground.The Maruts were in the thick of it, right through the fighting on the western front, and the Squadrons ended the war with a total of three Vir Chakras.

German Designer Kurt Tank - The Brain Behind 'Marut'

Kurt Waldemar Tank (February 24, 1898 - June 5, 1983) was a German aeronautical engineer and test pilot.

Tank Later moved to India. First he worked as Director of the Madras Institute of Technology, where one of his students was Abdul Kalam (later Kalam became President of India and designed indigenous satellite launch vehicles and missiles). Kurt Tank later joined Hindustan Aeronautics, where he designed the Hindustan Marut fighter-bomber, the first military aircraft constructed in India. The first prototype flew in 1961; the Marut was retired from active service in 1985. Tank left Hindustan Aeronautics in 1967 and by the 1970s had returned to live in Berlin, basing himself in Germany for the rest of his life. He work as consultant for MBB. [4] He died in Munich in 1983.

Last action heroes remember a fighter

June 18: It was a warplane without a radar, engines which did not perform like they were meant to, a shaky canopy and a croaky 'RT', but nonetheless the HF-24 Marut was a legend for pilots who flew the country's first fighter-bomber through the 60s and the 70s. Indian Air Force pilots recounted awe-inspiring episodes about Maruts destroying several targets —from a massive ammunition dump at Ghazi camp to rail yards in Naya Chor sector and Nawabshah airport in Sindh-during the Indo-Pak war in 1971 and subsequent peacetime sorties. They were amazed at how it would transform from a "bullock cart" to a supersonic aircraft once it crossed the 400 knot-mark to beat even Hawker Hunters and MiG-21 jets.

"We used to fly at tree-top levels using maps, our wristwatch and the speedometer. There were no radars, so we fired with the help of gun sight. As wing commander flying the last two sorties (1983 & 1984), I made enough noise that the Maruts should not be phased out, but the powers-that-be did not pay heed as HAL failed to add more power to the engines," says Air Vice-Marshal Aditya Vikram Pethia (retd), a war veteran who was awarded the Vir Chakra after spending six months in Pakistan as a prisoner of war (POW). Sample this episode to gauge the jet's robust airframe: a diminutive Wing Commander Bobby Kasbekar (retd) was celebrating his strikes at Mirpur Khas in Sindh early December 1971 when he realised that artillery fire struck his Marut, leaving a gaping hole in one of the wings. He managed to return to the airbase in Uttarlai and had the cavity fixed with the help of a pair of playing cards by intrepid engineers.

Interestingly, Flight Lieutenant Jawaharlal 'Brother' Bhargav who flew the damaged Marut to Jodhpur and returned with another one to continue with air strikes against Pakistan, was taken POW after his Marut was shot down during his first sortie over enemy territory. "Bobby was on the mission the next day too, but I forced Squadron Leader 'Joe' Bakshi to allow me to fly with him. My aircraft was hit by gunfire and suffered multiply failures, forcing me to eject over Pakistan. I was captured, imprisoned and returned home after a year and half," Air Commodore Bhargava (retd) told DC.

The Maruts, according to Air Marshal S.S. Ramdas (retd), was a better machine compared to the MiG 21s. He reminisced how pilots of Maruts had silenced bitter critics among their colleagues with one contest at in Jodhpur in 1977. "Four Maruts took off from the airbase and popped up from nowhere to carryout a mock attack on the airbase. They flew away before the MiGs even realised what was happening. The MiGs couldn’t catch them," he added. These fighter-bombers, were phased out when they were only 16 years young.

Last action heroes remember a fighter | Deccan Chronicle

India's First Fighter Jet Turned 50 , The Hal Marut Came Into service in Air force Just at time When Mig 21 were Inducted.Due to Lack Of Powered Engines , The Marut Could Not Complete Its service Life and Were Phased Out Early.

The Aircraft Completed Its 50 years of First Flight.
A forgotten Bird Indeed

I Wonder , as India was Facing Sanctions at That time...If HAL would have Succeeded In adding Power To Engines.....this Bird would have been in Service Till Now Along Mig 21's

Surely , A Fighter Bird to Remember

 

[Anik101]