Hawks Fly Away With India’s Jet Trainer v2 Competition

Contracts & Key Events

May 1/18 Hawk upgrade to costly: A defense deal valued at over $300 million for the provision of 20 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer’s to the Indian Air Force (IAF) could fall through as the negotiations for it have been stuck for almost three years now, mostly due to a steep price hike by the vendors. The induction of advanced jet trainers into India’s Air Force has been a long and difficult process. A 20-year procurement process came to an end in 2004, when India selected BAE’s Hawk as its future advanced jet trainer. The 66-plane order was worth about $1.2 billion. The IAF has made clear that it is not interested in the offer to upgrade the fleet of its 120 Hawk planes as proposed by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL). HAL had offered to upgrade the Hawk fleet of the Air Force to Hawk India jets by adding combat capabilities, however the price offered is more than 60% of what the Indian Ministry of Defense is willing to pay.

June 9/17: BAE’s Advanced Hawk trainer has completed its first test-flight at the company’s Warton, Lancashire, UK site. The test aimed to assess a series of enhancements developed which could equip new-build examples or be added as upgrades to in-service aircraft. Upgrades to cockpit include a large area display and the integration of BAE’s LiteHUD head-up display, and a new wing that increases performance and the capacity for an increased range of offensive weapons and defensive measures. The aircraft will now undergo a series of flights to collect test data on the new key capability enhancements.

January 31/17: Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has completed their first swap out of foreign-made equipment on their Hawk MK132 advanced trainer aircraft. Designated as Hawk-i, the jet had imported mission computer and data transfer units upgraded with Indian-made components and includes additional capabilities such as digital map generation. Other additions include a secured voice communication and data link capability by integration of Softnet Radio.

June 15/16: BAE Systems is currently working on a new Hawk jet trainer demonstrator for India. Changes to the 42 year old aircraft include wing improvements and modifications expected to improve its aerodynamic performance. The Advanced Hawk, which is sometimes referred to as the Combat Hawk, is being offered to the Indians to expand the size of their training fleet, as well as give them a light attack capability with precision-guided munitions.

February 24/16: BAE Systems and India’s state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) are considering establishing a joint venture to co-produce variants of the Hawk trainer, upgrade the Jaguar aircraft, and establish an operations base in India focusing on logistics and producing spare parts. Both aircraft are already produced under license by HAL and further cooperation could lead to a more hands on development in improving maneuver performance with laser designation, precision smart weapons, and state-of-the-art synthetic training to create a more advanced trainer aircraft.

October 26/15: The Indian Air Force is reportedly buying twenty Hawk Mk132 Advanced Jet Trainers for the service’s Surya Kiran aerobatics team. The deal is thought to value over $500 million, with the new aircraft coming equipped with smoke pods and decorative livery.

Oct 10/14: Aerobatic. India’s MoD has issued a fresh tender for 20 Hawk AJTs, in order to replace the Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team’s aged HJT-16s. This has been delayed for quite some time (q.v. May 6/12, Sept 14/12) – but in a very big change for India, the behavior is being called out, with consequences promised:

“The original file related to the tender had gone missing and the process had to be restarted by the Government…. The defence ministry has taken a serious view of the lapses on part of the officials handling the file and an inquiry has been ordered, officials said. Disciplinary proceedings would be initiated against officials who are found responsible for the lapses…”

Seems there’s a new Sheriff in town. Sources: India’s Economic Times, “Defence Ministry issues fresh tender for 20 Hawk aircraft”.

Aug 3/14: Engines. In December 2013, Rolls Royce admitted that it had paid GBP 1.85 million in commissions to a middleman, which is against Indian regulations. But the government can’t blacklist them, because their engines power Indian patrol vessels, Jaguar fighters, Sea Harrier jump-jets, Avro light transports, Embraer Legacy VVIP jets, C-130Js, Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs), Kiran mark-II trainers, and Sea King helicopters. So… no.

The Ministry of Defence has given Rolls Royce permission to pursue deals while the CBI’s investigation plays out. Sources: The Times of India, “Govt not to blacklist Rolls Royce for ‘operational’ reasons”.

Sept 23/13: Navy delivery. The Indian Navy receives its 1st of 17 ordered Hawk Mk.132 trainers. Meanwhile, the contract for 20 aerobatic aircraft (q.v. Sept 14/12) hasn’t been finalized yet. BAE’s Guy Griffiths:

“We have also submitted our response to HAL’s Request for Proposal for a potential order to supply products and services for the manufacture of 20 additional Hawk aircraft to the IAF, and are now looking forward to partnering with HAL in providing the Indian Air Force’s display team this fantastic aircraft.”

Feb 4/13: Training. BAE Systems and Elbit Systems will extend their teaming agreement, in response to a formal request from the IAF. They’ll develop the next set of improvements to the IAF’s Virtual Training System to simulate advanced radar, electronic warfare, countermeasures, and weapons within the Hawk Mk.132.

That allows pilots to conduct advanced combat training in the air, using simulated scenarios, in less expensive trainer jets instead of front-line fighters. BAE Systems | Elbit’s Embedded Virtual Avionics page.

Sept 14/12: Aerobatic. No, there’s no done deal yet. BAE announces that:

“We have received a Request for Proposal (RFP) from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for a potential order to supply products and services for the manufacture of 20 Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) aircraft. The aircraft, to be built by HAL in Bengaluru, will fulfill the Indian Air Force’s requirement for its prestigious aerobatic team.”

A 20-plane order would bring India’s Hawk fleet to 143, making them the world’s 3rd largest Hawk operator behind the US Navy and Britain. The Surya Kiran Aerobatics Team (SKAT) disbanded in 2011, due to a shortage of working HAL HJT-16 Kiran Mk.2 jet trainers in the air force. If reconstituted with Hawk Mk.132s, they would become the 2nd 9-Hawk formation team in the world, after the RAF’s Red Arrows. There are also reports that the team may receive a new title, possibly going back to their “Thunderbolts” moniker when they operated the excellent Hawker Hunter. BAE | Livefist.

June 11/12: Why so many crashes? India’s IDSA raises an interesting issue for the IAF:

“The IAF still has one of the highest accident rates in the world. This translates into a loss of between half and one complete squadron of aircraft per year apart from aircrew losses due to injuries or fatalities. Earlier, this high accident rate was attributed to the lack of an Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), which forms the link between trainer aircraft and fast jet fighters. However, IAF aircrew have been training on the British Aerospace Hawk AJT for at least five years now. Yet, the accident rate does not reflect a major reduction in spite of the Hawk being in service and in use… That the induction of the AJT has not reduced the accident rate significantly indicates that the problem lies elsewhere. The IAF may consider sanctioning an external audit of its functioning to identify the cause(s) of this slow attrition.”

May 6/12: Aerobatic? The Times of India reports that India has bought another 20 Hawk AJTs, for the Surya Kiran (SKAT) aerobatics team. The Hawks would replace the 1980s-era HJT-16 Kiran jets currently in use:

“After first ordering 66 twin-seat Hawks in March 2004 and then another 57 in July 2010, at a combined overall project cost running into Rs 16,000 crore, India has now ordered another 20 AJTs… At present, IAF has inducted over 60 Hawks. The overall AJT project, with 24 supplied directly by BAE Systems and 122 to be licensed manufactured by HAL in India, will cost well over Rs 20,000 crore by the time it’s completed in 2016-2017.”

The report turns out to be premature, but the general direction is correct.

Dec 12/11: BAE spares & support. BAE Systems announces a GBP 59 million (currently $92 million) contract for IAF Hawk AJT spares and ground support equipment, adding that “This brings the total value of Hawk related contracts won in India to more than [GBP] 600 million in the last 18 months” – vid. also coverage below.

The Hawk Mk 132 is manufactured in India under license by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, with materials, parts and support services provided by BAE Systems.

July 23/10: India’s air force hasn’t made any moves yet, but its navy reportedly has, via a reported Rs 3,042 crore (about $643 million/ GBP 414 million) deal with BAE Systems for 17 new Hawk trainers. The jets will reportedly be delivered from HAL’s Hawk production line, though it isn’t yet clear whether the naval training Hawks will involve final assembly or full manufacturing. Hawk variants are already used for advanced naval aviation training, vid. the US Navy’s Adour F405 powered T-45 Goshawk.

Some sources say that the deal is part of a 57 plane, Rs 9,400 crore (about $2 billion/ GBP 1.3 billion) combined follow-on purchase by the IAF and navy, to be announced during British Prime Minister David Cameron’s upcoming visit to India. Note that the total value of the deal from India’s perspective would include HAL, so those figures may differ from the total deal value to BAE and Rolls Royce.

The Indian Navy is currently training its pilots at the Indian Air Force academy, but it expects to induct the new trainers from 2013, and will set up a parallel training academy for pilots as they prepare to fly its MiG-27K and Tejas Naval fighters. Economic Times of India | Indian Express | Times of India | BBC | The Guardian | Bloomberg.

April 26/10: A London Times article covering Iraq’s trainer aircraft competition mentions that:

“India is set to order another 60 Hawks in addition to the 66 it has already booked. That deal could be announced within weeks.”

April 22/10: Hawk delays. In response to a Parliamentary inquiry by Rajya Sabha representative Smt Mohsina Kidwa, Minister of State for Defence Shri MM Pallam Raju continues to blame BAE Systems for HAL’s late delivery of Hawk AJT jet trainers, and also claims that IAF training is not being compromised:

“Delivery of 42 (Hawk-AJT) aircraft was scheduled from 2007-2008 to 2010-2011 in a phased manner. Three aircraft were to be built from semi-knocked down (SKD) kits, three from completely knocked down (CKD) kits and 36 from raw material phase. The CKD and SKD kits were assembled on schedule. When production in raw material phase was taken up, it was found that the equipment supplied by the OEM had various shortcomings. The assembly jigs that were supplied did not meet the requirements, there was mismatch in the kits/components supplied, there were defects in major assemblies like the wing spar etc. These problems took time to overcome and hence affected the production schedule at HAL.

HAL has manufactured 12 aircraft till now, three in the year 2008-2009 and nine in the year 2009-2010, including the first aircraft from raw material phase. The Air Force is not facing any acute shortage of trained pilots and the delay in delivery schedule of AJTs by HAL is not affecting the Air Force. Indian Air Force is meeting its requirement by utilizing the existing resources for training of pilots.”

When asked by DID to respond, BAE Systems had this comment:

“The BAE Systems Hawk AJT is performing well in the service of the IAF and delivering excellent training to future frontline pilots and superior serviceabilty. BAE Systems is confident in its performance on the Hawk contract and has made it clear to HAL it is willing to assist them in any aspect of their Hawk contract. We would be happy to also discuss this with MoD and address any concerns.”

That places India’s current Hawk Mk.132 fleet at 36 aircraft: 24 delivered direct from BAE, 6 built from kits, and 6 HAL-built planes.

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.

The report adds that a plan to buy 40 additional Hawk AJTs has hit a roadblock, due to differences over price between BAE and the IAF.

Oct 1/09: Basic trainer problems. Plans to phase out India’s grounded HPT-32 basic trainer 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: Training choking. 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.

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.”