Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJT) being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd(HAL) slated to replace the Kiran trainer jets with I...
Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainers (IJT) being developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd(HAL) slated to replace the Kiran trainer jets with Indian Airforce has been delayed due to nagging problems.
Issues remain on controls, engines and the aircraft’s weight, stall and spin characteristics.
The IAF had hoped the HAL HJT-36 Sitara intermediate trainer would be operational and begin deliveries by June, but it is a long way off from even initial operational clearance.But after a series of technological hurdles and the crash of a prototype in April 2011, HAL does not expect the aircraft to be declared interim capable until 2013.
In an interview to AINOnline, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne is quoted to have said,
" We are concerned as we are not seeing significant progress on the IJT. HAL put in a dedicated design team, yet there are no results. This is a training aircraft and we cannot compromise on safety ."
The IJT is a stage- II trainer to be used before pilots graduate to the more capable BAE Hawk Mk 132 advanced jet trainer.
The HAL HJT -36 was intended to replace the aging fleet of Kiran Mk II jet trainers in the IAF by 2015.
The IAF’s current fleet of about 81 HAL-built HJT-16 Kiran intermediate trainers will stop flying by the end of 2013, with no possibility of a life extension. And it is virtually certain that the HJT-36 won’t be operational by then, leaving a critical gap.
