Hindustan Trainer HTT-40

Ganesh2691

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 4, 2012
Messages
216
Likes
297
While Swiss firm Pilatus Aircraft begins confirmatory flight checks on India's first PC-7 Mk.II propeller trainers in Switzerland, HAL has launched the first metal cut for its own turboprop ab initio trainer aircraft, the HTT-40, that will augment the PC-7s and progressively replace the HPT-32 Deepak, that remains grounded. According to HAL, "The programme is governed by a strict time frame and ARDC is all geared up to meet the challenge. Key achievements include completion of preliminary design phase (PDP), finalisation of numerical master geometry (NMG),completion of preliminary wind tunnel testing, design of major frames and system finalisation."

HAL is still to finalise an engine for its platform. The first flight of the HTT-40 is likely to take place by early 2014. With Tejas running into interminable delays and HAL's intermediate jet trainer (IJT) HJT-36 Sitara also in trouble, there will be a glaring focus on whether HAL manages to stick to time-lines on even a basic aircraft like the HTT-40. The company's reputation may be on the line to deliver a simple propeller trainer on or before time, considering that it has already taken on board infinitely more complex projects, including the fifth generation fighter aircraft, which will require actual input from the company's designers and engineers.

HAL conducts first metal-cut on new turbo trainer | idrw.org
 

W.G.Ewald

Defence Professionals/ DFI member of 2
Professional
Joined
Sep 28, 2011
Messages
14,139
Likes
8,594


Company concept of the HAL HTT-40
The Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 aircraft project is a Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) proposal for an indigenous replacement for the Indian Air Force's retired HPT-32 Deepak as a basic trainer.

General characteristics

Crew: two
Gross weight: 2,800 kg (6,173 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × to be determined turboprop, 710 kW (950 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 450 km/h (280 mph; 243 kn)
Range: 1,000 km (621 mi; 540 nmi)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HAL_HTT-40
 

Sridhar

House keeper
Senior Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
3,474
Likes
1,061
Country flag
HTT-40 now dead, the IAF's Rs 2,900 crore buy of 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk II could rise to 181 trainers

MoD rejects HAL's proposal to build basic trainer

"Why should we pay HAL Rs 60 crore per basic trainer, when we can buy proven trainers from abroad for Rs 30 crore?" said a top MoD official to Business Standard.

"We would be willing to pay higher rates to build indigenous capability in strategic defence equipment. But can HAL argue that the capability to build basic trainers is strategically vital," noted the official.


Broadsword: MoD rejects HAL's proposal to build basic trainer
 

sasi

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2012
Messages
3,401
Likes
1,690
Money spent on R/D went down to blackhole .
 

cloud_9

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
768
Likes
697
Country flag
Money spent on R/D went down to blackhole .
What extra R&D you need to do to make a propeller plane...when you are already in the process of making Helicopters and jet fighters.
 

Patriot

Senior Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2010
Messages
1,761
Likes
544
Country flag
This the high time for the disinvestment of HAL to Indian corporate only. HAL can't continue to enjoy tax payers money which couldn't even deliver a basic trainer. This organisation has failed to develop & retain competencies in it's core activity. HAL does not deserve it's survival with the current work culture & unprofessional approach.
 

Decklander

Senior Member
Joined
Nov 19, 2012
Messages
2,654
Likes
4,111
What extra R&D you need to do to make a propeller plane...when you are already in the process of making Helicopters and jet fighters.
It is really shocking that HAL is not able to deliver a small turbo ac which are made as home builts in US & Europe.
 

cloud_9

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
768
Likes
697
Country flag
It is really shocking that HAL is not able to deliver a small turbo ac which are made as home builts in US & Europe.
My interpretation of Indian manufacturing sector is that most of the guys are really smart when it comes to publishing paper and research but some how they fail when it comes down to real world scenarios.
I used to work for Heat and Control as a drafts person (junior) and we had a design office in Chennai.Some of the guys were really smart and educated but they always had issues on the practicality bit with the designers at our office...who mostly started their career as a Tradesman.
 

Coalmine

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
4,221
Likes
14,955
Country flag
Will induct indigenous HTT 40 planes in large numbers: IAF chief



Indian Air Force will induct indigenous HTT 40 basic trainers in “large numbers”, which will boost the domestic capability although it was earlier keen for a Swiss aircraft.

The country was looking at having a fighter aircraft under ‘Make in India’ initiative which will be a “big ticket project”, IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Raha said at a seminar on Thursday.

Talking about the opportunities in the aviation sector, especially for domestic companies, he said, “IAF will induct HTT 40 basic trainers in large numbers soon”.

Defence sources said the IAF has committed to purchasing at least 70 of these aircraft.

The Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) had on May 31 made its maiden flight after much delay.

The aircraft, the prototype of which was rolled out in January, is aimed at being used for the first stage training of all flying cadets of the three services.

While the HTT-40 programme was almost junked during UPA rule, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar pursued both IAF and HAL to ensure development of the trainer.

IAF had blocked funding for the HTT-40 by telling the Defence Ministry that the aircraft would be “too expensive, heavy and that it will not meet their need”.

IAF had backed a Swiss trainer, the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II.

The Air Force had purchased 75 of Pilatus in 2012 under a controversial deal but the requirement was for over 106 more planes.

Parrikar had cut this down and cleared a plan to purchase another 38 of Pilatus aircraft. However, the contract is still stuck on pricing issues.

Raha also said maintenance and rehaul facilities of aircraft and its engines is still in infancy in India and it needs to grow. He said the private sector should get into it.

The IAF chief reminded those present at the seminar that there is a lot of opportunities because of the legacy of aircraft that the force operates.

http://indianexpress.com/article/in...40-planes-in-large-numbers-iaf-chief-3007990/
 

LTE-TDD

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
Messages
211
Likes
20
Haha, great HAL!

Please enter a message with at least 30 characters.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Coalmine

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2013
Messages
4,221
Likes
14,955
Country flag
Guys is there any response from Hal. Hal may develop on there own for H&D

Trishul blog reporting that HAL intends to use Pratt and Whitney PT6 engines.
 

Ray

The Chairman
Professional
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
43,132
Likes
23,834
It is time to tell the DRDO that they have to wake up and smell the coffee and quit acting like public sector lumbering white elephants ordered to be humoured!
 

Blackwater

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 9, 2012
Messages
21,157
Likes
12,211
Both HAL and DRDO should be fully or partially privatise
 

Rahul Singh

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
3,652
Likes
5,790
Country flag
Not undertaking HTT-40 project forward will mean repeating same HTT-35---> HPT-32--->Pilatus-7MKII story all over again.

We all know that trainers are not like fighters and they wear far quickly than frontline fighters, especially the BPT kind. And in organization like IAF (which trains around 500 pilots yearly with each recording over 60 hours on BPT) it is like 30000 hours divided by 100 (maximum possible operational BPTs in IAF at any time) equals to 300 hours on each BPT per year. Now add to it routine test flights (flown for the purpose of system validation after routine maintenance and occasional breakdowns) in addition to number of hours flown by instructors for training new instructor trainees.

For what i can estimate, BPT's life expectancy is not much more than 20-25 years in general. And even if PC-7 MKII is advance, it will surely require life extension upgrade (possibly including engine replacement) after 20 years. Since they are SWIS made, HAL is out of equation. So who will IAF go for upgrade? Surely Pilatus? Considering high labor cost as one of many cost escalating reasons, one can easily estimate how much MILKING ( you heard it twice, don't you) IAF will do then of tax payer's sack?

In contrast, if HTT-40 is given go ahead even as a slow 10 year project then by that time (20-22 years from now) IAF would at least have an option of buying a new BPT in place of old PC-7 MKIIs -- requiring heavy up-gradation-- which might just turn out be costlier (in terms of money spent for gaining X hours of air frame life).
 

Rahul Singh

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2009
Messages
3,652
Likes
5,790
Country flag
Not undertaking HTT-40 project forward will mean repeating same HTT-35---> HPT-32--->Pilatus-7MKII story all over again.

We all know that trainers are not like fighters and they wear far quickly than frontline fighters, especially the BPT kind. And in organization like IAF (which trains around 500 pilots yearly with each recording over 60 hours on BPT) it is like 30000 hours divided by 100 (maximum possible operational BPTs in IAF at any time) equals to 300 hours on each BPT per year. Now add to it routine test flights (flown for the purpose of system validation after routine maintenance and occasional breakdowns) in addition to number of hours flown by instructors for training new instructor trainees.

For what i can estimate, BPT's life expectancy is not much more than 20-25 years in general. And even if PC-7 MKII is advance, it will surely require life extension upgrade (possibly including engine replacement) after 20 years. Since they are SWIS made, HAL is out of equation. So who will IAF go for upgrade? Surely Pilatus? Considering high labor cost as one of many cost escalating reasons, one can easily estimate how much MILKING ( you heard it twice, don't you) IAF will do then of tax payer's sack?

In contrast, if HTT-40 is given go ahead even as a slow 10 year project then by that time (20-22 years from now) IAF would at least have an option of buying a new BPT in place of old PC-7 MKIIs -- requiring heavy up-gradation-- which might just turn out be costlier (in terms of money spent for gaining X hours of air frame life).
 

Twinblade

Senior Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
1,578
Likes
3,231
Country flag
Ajai Shukla | New Delhi July 29, 2013 Last Updated at 23:27 IST
IAF diluted al least 12 benchmarks for trainer aircraft

The documents reveal that, up to Sep 29, 2009, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was indigenously developing 181 BTA for the IAF, dubbed the Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40)

Retired Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, former Indian Air Force (IAF) head, faces a Central Bureau of Investigation chargesheet for allegedly diluting a single specification of the VVIP helicopter that India was buying.

In the Air Staff Qualitative Requirements (ASQR), the helicopter's service ceiling was lowered from 6,000 to 4,500 metres. This made the AW-101 helicopter eligible and its Anglo-Italian manufacturer, AgustaWestland, bagged the euro 556 million (Rs 4,377 crore) IAF contract for 12 helicopters.

That violation, now under investigation, is dwarfed in the IAF's purchase of the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II basic trainer aircraft (BTA), where at least 12 benchmarks were changed between March and October 2009, including some relating to pilot safety. These allowed the PC-7 Mark II, fielded by Swiss company Pilatus, to qualify and win an IAF order worth $640 million (Rs 3,780 crore) for 75 BTA.

Business Standard is in possession of the documents relating to this case. Asked for comments, the IAF has chosen not to respond.

The documents reveal that up to September 29, 2009, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) was indigenously developing 181 BTA for the IAF, dubbed the Hindustan Turbo Trainer–40 (HTT–40). On March 5, 2009, IAF laid down stringent performance benchmarks, dubbed Preliminary Air Staff Qualitative Requirements or PSQR.

These began getting diluted in September 2009, when the ministry of defence (MoD) permitted IAF to import 75 BTA through a global tender. Within days, the IAF issued a relaxed ASQR, in a document numbered ASQR 18/09. While the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II would not have met the earlier PSQR formulated for HAL, the new ASQR seem almost tailored for Pilatus.

Among the 12 dilutions Business Standard has identified, the most worrisome is doing away with the requirement for a 'zero-zero ejection seat'. This allows pilots to eject even from a stationary aircraft on the ground (zero altitude, zero speed). The October 2009 ASQR does not require a zero-zero ejection seat. Since the PC-7 Mk II has 'zero-60' ejection seats, i.e. the aircraft must be moving at 60 knots (110 kmph), dropping the earlier requirement made it eligible for the IAF contract.

The PSQR of March 2009 required the BTA to have a pressurised cockpit, letting the trainee fly at altitudes above 15-20,000 feet. But the ASQR of October 2009 dispensed with this. The PC-7 Mark II has an unpressurised cockpit.

Also diluted was the requirement for good external vision from the instructor's rear cockpit, a crucial attribute in a BTA. The PSQR of March 2009 mandated a field of view of 'minus eight degree vision' for the rear cockpit. The ASQR of October 2009 dispensed with it, specifying only, "the rear cockpit should be sufficiently raised to allow safe flight instruction". The PC-7 Mark II, which does not meet the eight-degree specification, became eligible.

'Glide ratio' is another important attribute for a light, single-engine aircraft. The glide ratio of 12:1 specified in the March 2009 PSQR meant the trainer could glide, in the event of an engine failure or shutdown, a distance of 12 km for every one km of altitude that it lost. Which would enable a BTA flying at an altitude of five km to glide for 60 km, landing safely at any airport within that distance. But the October 2009 ASQR relaxed the glide-ratio requirement to 10:1. That is precisely the glide-ratio of the Pilatus PC-7 Mark II.

The ASQR of October 2009 also relaxed the requirement for 'in-flight simulation'. This permits the instructor in the rear cockpit to electronically simulate instrument failures, training the rookie pilot to handle an emergency. The PSQR of March 2009 required this facility; the HTT-40 being developed by HAL also has these. The PC-7 Mark II does not and the relaxation of this condition made it eligible for the IAF tender.

Other relaxations that made the Pilatus trainer eligible include increasing the take-off distance from 700 to 1,000 metres and reducing maximum speed from 475 kmph to 400 kmph.

On Monday, this newspaper had reported (Indian Air Force at war with Hindustan Aeronautics; wants to import, not build, a trainer) about a personal letter earlier this month from Air Chief Marshal N A K Browne, the present IAF chief, to Defence Minister A K Antony, asking for HAL's trainer project to be scrapped and another 106 PC-7 Mark II trainers be imported from Pilatus, a purchase that will benefit the Swiss company by an estimated $800 million (Rs 4,750 crore).

Browne's involvement with the basic trainer dates back several years. From March 2007 to May 2009, he was Deputy Chief of Air Staff (DCAS) at IAF headquarters, handling all acquisitions. Four months after he handed over to Air Marshal N V Tyagi (not to be confused with the former IAF chief, S P Tyagi), the IAF issued the ASQR, with the relaxations that benefited Pilatus.

Asked for comments, N V Tyagi told Business Standard the PSQR of March 2009 set unrealistically high standards for HAL to meet. These were lowered in the October 2009 ASQR because the IAF was going for global procurement. Lower standards would bring in more vendors and generate competition.

Says Tyagi, "The earlier PSQRs matched the performance of the Embraer Super Tucano, which many IAF officers considered a good trainer. But the IAF didn't believe that HAL could build such a trainer quickly. After a series of HPT-32 crashes (then the IAF's basic trainer), it was decided in September 2009 to buy 75 basic trainers from the global market. Fresh QRs were framed in order to bring as many vendors as possible into the tender."

The question remains — why were exacting standards set for a HAL-built trainer lowered when it came to an international purchase?
http://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/iaf-diluted-al-least-12-benchmarks-for-trainer-aircraft-113072901068_1.html

Different standards for domestic and imported products. Haven't we heard this before.
 

pmaitra

Senior Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2009
Messages
33,262
Likes
19,593
What I have noticed with arms procurement:
  • Requirements remain unheard of for years, and they suddenly pop-up the moment a foreign made item is available.
  • Quite surprisingly, the capabilities of that foreign made item closely matches the requirements.
  • A cavalcade of "experts" throng defense sites, and scratch each others' backs while promoting these foreign items.
 

Latest Replies

Global Defence

New threads

Articles

Top