Military Ministry Signs HAL Pact For 70 Trainer Aircraft, L&t For Cadet Training Ships

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Defence signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) to buy 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft worth more than 6,800 crore and with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) to buy three Cadet Training Ships worth more than 3,100 crore.

It has also made a deal with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) to buy three Cadet Training Ships. This deal was made in New Delhi in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“Defense Secretary Giridhar Aramane and other senior civil and military MoD officials, as well as HAL and L&T representatives, were present when the contracts were signed and handed over “the government said.

On March 1, 2023, the Union Cabinet approved the purchase of 70 HTT-40 trainer aircraft from HAL at a cost of over 6,800 crore. This was a big step towards the government’s goal of “Aatmanirbharta” in defence.

The HTT-40 is a turboprop plane that helps training go more smoothly. “Fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer” “The government said in a press release that the plane has a cockpit with air conditioning, new avionics, hot refuelling, running change over, and zero-zero ejection seats.

The purchase of HTT-40 planes is important because it will help the Indian Air Force meet its “shortage of basic trainer aircraft for training newly-inducted pilots.” “. The government said that the purchase will include simulators and other tools to help with training.

Over a period of six years, the planes will be sent.

About 56% of the HTT-40 is made in India, and that number will gradually rise to over 60% as major components and subsystems are made in India.

The HAL wants to include small and medium-sized businesses (MSMEs) in its supply chain. As a result, this procurement “has the potential to directly and indirectly employ thousands of people in more than 100 MSMEs.” “.

Officer cadets, including women, will get their training at sea after their basic training. This will help the Indian Navy meet its needs in the future. The ships would also train cadets from friendly countries so that diplomatic ties could be strengthened.

The ships can also be used for Search and Rescue, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), and to get people out of trouble spots. Starting in 2026, ships will start to be sent out.

The ships will be made at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. They will be designed, developed, and built in India. Over the course of four and a half years, 22.5 million man-days of work will be done on the project. This will encourage Indian shipbuilding and related industries, such as MSMEs, to get involved.