Saturday, February 14, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Bangalore: India would fly its indigenously built supersonic light combat aircraft trainer --Tejas -- in two months for the first time, a senior defence official said here today.
It would be a general purpose dedicated trainer aircraft, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation, M Natarajan, told reporters.
This trainer is going to be "far, far superior to Hawk in five-six years," he claimed.
Hawk is the country's present advanced jet trainer aircraft.
Asked about the long-range Agni missile, he said "efforts are on".DRDO is working towards capitalising on the work done in the first and second stages and trying to intelligently repackage both stages by reducing the inter-stage distance and gain that much space for pushing a third motor. These are not simple tasks, he said.
13/02/09 Samay Live
It would be a general purpose dedicated trainer aircraft, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister and Chief of Defence Research and Development Organisation, M Natarajan, told reporters.
This trainer is going to be "far, far superior to Hawk in five-six years," he claimed.
Hawk is the country's present advanced jet trainer aircraft.
Asked about the long-range Agni missile, he said "efforts are on".DRDO is working towards capitalising on the work done in the first and second stages and trying to intelligently repackage both stages by reducing the inter-stage distance and gain that much space for pushing a third motor. These are not simple tasks, he said.
13/02/09 Samay Live
Labels: Defense, IJT, India, Tejas
To read the news in full | PermaLink
The defence ministry has asked its star firm to pull out a trainer aircraft from Aero India 2009 because it is not sure the plane can fly.
The Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) is being produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore since March 1999. It is supposed to replace the ageing Kiran aircraft that is flown by cadets training to be fighter pilots. The Indian Air Force was scheduled to have received 150 IJTs from HAL in 2005-06.
“They are not going to fly the IJT this year,” defence production secretary Pradeep Kumar said. “HAL wants to be sure about it being ready to fly.”
The IJT was a major embarrassment for the defence ministry — the host of the show in which all global aviation majors participate — in Aero India 2007 when HAL’s chief test (fixed wing) pilot squadron leader, Baldev Singh, who was taxiing out for a demo, suddenly felt the aircraft give away under him. The plane keeled over on a wing.
Singh was again in the IJT just last Saturday, with test pilot Wing Commander C. Subramaniam, when the plane they had flown on a routine sortie suddenly sat down on its belly at Yelahanka air force base — the venue of Aero India — after landing.
The IJT project has overshot all cost and time lines. It is being refitted with a Russian AL 551 engine. The aircraft had its maiden flight in March 2003 but has not got an initial operational clearance yet.
10/02/09 Sujan Dutta/The Telegraph
The Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) is being produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bangalore since March 1999. It is supposed to replace the ageing Kiran aircraft that is flown by cadets training to be fighter pilots. The Indian Air Force was scheduled to have received 150 IJTs from HAL in 2005-06.
“They are not going to fly the IJT this year,” defence production secretary Pradeep Kumar said. “HAL wants to be sure about it being ready to fly.”
The IJT was a major embarrassment for the defence ministry — the host of the show in which all global aviation majors participate — in Aero India 2007 when HAL’s chief test (fixed wing) pilot squadron leader, Baldev Singh, who was taxiing out for a demo, suddenly felt the aircraft give away under him. The plane keeled over on a wing.
Singh was again in the IJT just last Saturday, with test pilot Wing Commander C. Subramaniam, when the plane they had flown on a routine sortie suddenly sat down on its belly at Yelahanka air force base — the venue of Aero India — after landing.
The IJT project has overshot all cost and time lines. It is being refitted with a Russian AL 551 engine. The aircraft had its maiden flight in March 2003 but has not got an initial operational clearance yet.
10/02/09 Sujan Dutta/The Telegraph
Labels: Defense, HAL, IJT, India
To read the news in full | PermaLink
Bangalore: This year's Aero India show will be the largest ever with 592 companies from 25 countries showcasing their latest products, but a series of delays, production hitches and an air crash have hit the Indian participation at the prestigious military air exposition. While no new Indian products will be on display, even older "in development" products will give the air show a miss.
For starters, the indigenous effort to develop an Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) by HAL received a jolt just days before the air show. One of the two flying prototypes of the aircraft crashlanded on the runway after a routine test flight, writing it off for the Aero India show. The project, which has been delayed for close to five years already, also had a similar spell of bad luck at the last air show in 2007 when the other flying prototype crashed during take-off in full view of the participants.
Defence Production Secretary Pradeep Kumar admitted that while HAL was planning to bring in the trainer for a demo flight, it was called off after more tests were required for the aircraft.
Another aircraft to be put up by HAL will be the 'indigenously manufactured' Hawk trainer for the Indian Air Force. While an 'indigenous' Hawk will be on display at HAL's pavilion, the trainer has been dogged by a serious delay over the past few months with problems of delivery of spare parts from the UK-based BAE company. Sources say BAE is holding up supplies of certain components which has delayed the aircraft production at the Indian facility. While the UK-manufactured trainers have already come in, the lack of parts means that IAF has to do without the optimum number of trainers required.
As highlighted by The Indian Express, the trainer had been hit by a series of quality problems after it was inducted at the Bidar air base, prompting the IAF to take up the issue with BAE.
10/02/09 Manu Pubby/Indian Express
For starters, the indigenous effort to develop an Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) by HAL received a jolt just days before the air show. One of the two flying prototypes of the aircraft crashlanded on the runway after a routine test flight, writing it off for the Aero India show. The project, which has been delayed for close to five years already, also had a similar spell of bad luck at the last air show in 2007 when the other flying prototype crashed during take-off in full view of the participants.
Defence Production Secretary Pradeep Kumar admitted that while HAL was planning to bring in the trainer for a demo flight, it was called off after more tests were required for the aircraft.
Another aircraft to be put up by HAL will be the 'indigenously manufactured' Hawk trainer for the Indian Air Force. While an 'indigenous' Hawk will be on display at HAL's pavilion, the trainer has been dogged by a serious delay over the past few months with problems of delivery of spare parts from the UK-based BAE company. Sources say BAE is holding up supplies of certain components which has delayed the aircraft production at the Indian facility. While the UK-manufactured trainers have already come in, the lack of parts means that IAF has to do without the optimum number of trainers required.
As highlighted by The Indian Express, the trainer had been hit by a series of quality problems after it was inducted at the Bidar air base, prompting the IAF to take up the issue with BAE.
10/02/09 Manu Pubby/Indian Express
Labels: Defense, General: Participants, IJT, India
To read the news in full | PermaLink
