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IAF Hawk
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The induction of advanced jet trainers into India’s Air Force has been a long and difficult process. After a number of false starts, and indigenous efforts like HAL’s Ajeet that didn’t quite live up to expectations, a 20-year procurement process came to an end when India selected BAE’s Hawk 115Y as its future advanced jet trainer in 2004. The 66-plane order was worth about $1.2 billion, and included options for another 40 aircraft. The first 24 Hawk Mk.132 AJTs have already been delivered by BAE; the other 42 would be license-manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics, Ltd. in India.

In March 2009, the Press Trust of India reported that India’s Air Force had elected not to pick up the follow-on option. In and of itself, that is not unusual. What is unusual, is a follow-on competition for advanced trainers thrown open to international firms, via a February 2009 RFP. Now, an article in India’s press sheds some light on issues with the current Hawk AJT contract, and the crtical state of India’s trainer fleet…

Updates and Related Events

Yak-130
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Nov 5/09: BAE announces that it has delivered the 24th and final BAE-assembled Hawk AJT to India. It’s actually a bit of a technicality, because HT001 was the first IAF Hawk to be built, and served for 3 years as a UK flight test platform, instructor training program, and proving ground for integrating new components into the IAF Hawk fleet. The first IAF Hawk delivery took place in November 2007, and other than this final development aircraft, deliveries of the other 23 to India were completed in 2008. The Hawk fleet is based at Air Force Station Bidar, located lightly NW of Hyderabad in Karnataka state (formerly Mysore), south central India.

Oct 2/09: An Indian Express report says that India is urgently seeking up to 180 trainer aircraft to replace or augment its trainer fleet at all levels, in the wake of problems with the lower-tier HPT-32 fleet and contract issues with its upper-tier Hawk AJT program. It adds that a plan to buy 40 additional Hawk ATJs has hit a roadblock, due to differences over price between BAE and the IAF.

Oct 1/09: Plans to phase out India’s grounded HPT-32 fleet will intensify India’s needs for trainer aircraft at all levels. Indian Express quotes Air Chief Marshal P V Naik:

“The IAF lost two experienced instructors in a fatal crash of HPT-32 this year. We have ordered an inquiry and a study on the aircraft, as we have had a lot of problems since their induction in 1984. We hope to use it only till 2013-14”...

Sept 2/09: India’s Business Standard:

“The Indian Air Force (IAF) is desperately short of aircraft for training its flight cadets. With the entire fleet of basic trainers – the HPT-32 Deepak – grounded after a series of crashes, advanced training is suffering equally due to unexpected delays in the manufacture of the Hawk advanced jet trainer (AJT) in India…. According to the contracted schedule, the first 15 Hawks should have already been built in Bangalore. Instead, only five have been completed.”

Now Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Chairman Ashok Nayak, under sharp attack for the delays, blames BAE Systems for supplying key tools and frames for the wrong version of the Hawk trainers. He adds that that resolution has been slow because the BAE Systems team stationed at the Hawk assembly line has to refer back to the UK for decisions. Meanwhile, items like the aircrafts’ windscreens must be shipped to the UK and back for quality certification, adding more delays. India’s Business Standard adds that:

“Guy Douglas, BAE Systems’ spokesperson in India, strongly refutes HAL’s version. In an emailed response, he states “BAE Systems does not accept that the programme delays being experienced by HAL, on their contract with the government of India, are materially down to BAE Systems. BAE Systems has completed all hardware deliveries to support the licence-build programme. BAE Systems has repeatedly made clear that it stands ready to assist HAL, should they require it. In this respect, a number of proposals have been made by BAE Systems to HAL and we await their response.”

In summary: HAL claims that BAE has made mistakes, and has a corporate structure that is not addressing issues very well. BAE responds that HAL’s own bureaucracy and failure to respond in timely ways is the core problem. One of them could be right, or both could. At present, however, HAL is the only viable game in town for technology transfer and the manufacture of advanced jet aircraft in India. Under those circumstances, they’re likely to build any follow-on AJT order, whether or not the contract goes to BAE Systems.

March 17/09: The Press Trust of India reports that supply delays to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is supposed to assemble a number of the Hawks in India, have resulted in an international competition for India’s follow-on order of up to 57 Lead-In Fighter Trainers.

The RFP was reportedly sent to the Czech Republic’s Aero Vodochody (L-159), Italy’s Alenia (M-346), BAE (Hawk, but it would be a more advanced variant), Korea’s KAI (T-50s), and Russia (either the YAK-130 variant of the M346 joint project, or the MiG AT). PTI News | Indian Express | Flight International.

Additional Readings

• BAE Systems – Hawk

• Vector Site – The BAE Hawk

• Air Force Technology – Hawk Trainer / Light Combat Aircraft, United Kingdom

• Air Force Technology – T-50 Golden Eagle Jet Trainer and Light Attack Aircraft, South Korea

• DID FOCUS – Korea’s T-50 Spreads Its Wings

• Air Force Technology – M-346 Advanced Fighter Trainer, Italy

• Air Force Technology – Yak-130 Combat Trainer, Russia. The M-346 project’s other fork.

• Air Force Technology – MiG-AT – Advanced Flight and Combat Trainer Aircraft, Russia

• Air Force Technology – L159 ALCA Advanced Light Combat Aircraft, Czech Republic

• DID – Czech L-159s: Cheap to Good Home

• Bharat Rakshak – HAL Kiran Mk.I/IA/II. The IAF’s intermediate trainer, delivered between 1985-89; see also photo album.

• Bharat Rakshak – HAL Intermediate Jet Trainer HJT-36. Was intended to replace the HJT-16 Kiran; some sources now say that the BAE Hawks are slated to do that.

• Air Force Technology – HJT-36 Sitara Intermediate Jet Trainer, India

• Bharat Rakshak – HAL HPT-32 Deepak. India’s basic trainer fleet.

• BBC (Oct 23/09) – Crucial Indian defence deals delayed. These include the Navy’s submarine and aircraft carrier projects, advanced trainers for the air force, and coastal surveillance plans. “For its part, the government has been slow in responding to criticism – even from its auditing organisation. When it comes to defence issues in India, speed does not seem to be of paramount importance.”