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| Photo / Pilatus Aircraft |
Statement from Pilatus: Pilatus Aircraft Ltd is proud to announce that the Indian Air Force has entered today into a contract in excess of 500 Million Swiss Francs to procure a fleet of 75 PC-7 MkII turboprop aircraft, together with an integrated ground based training system and a comprehensive logistics support package. The contract also contains an option clause for extending the scope of this contract within three years from initial signature and we are optimistic that this will indeed be executed.
The Indian Air Force joins more than 30 other countries to modernise its training pipeline with the most modern, capable and cost effective system for Basic Flying Training on the market today. The Indian Air Force is the fourth largest air force in the world with approximately 170,000 personnel and 1,500 aircraft operating from more than 60 air bases. This contract will extend the fleet of Pilatus turboprop trainers to more than 900 aircraft operating worldwide.
Delivery of the aircraft and the complete training system is scheduled to commence in Q4 2012. The decision to select the PC-7 MkII training system was made after a thorough evaluation by the Indian Air Force, which looked at all available options. Pilatus Aircraft Ltd views this contract for the Indian Air Force as a major success and believes it will encourage other forces to take a close look at our pilot training solution.
Coupled to this award will be the establishment of in-country depot level maintenance capabilities, which includes the required transfer of technology to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), enabling in-country maintenance of the platform throughout its service life of over 30 years. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was established in 1940 with the Government of India as primary shareholder, having approximately 35,000 employees based at eight sites across India.
Pilatus has also entered into a separate off-set contract with the Government of India for 30% of the value of this contract and we view this as a major opportunity. Pilatus has significant confidence in the Indian Defence market with its highly skilled workforce and it is our intention to leverage the offset opportunity to establish manufacturing capability for the region in support of our business plans for India.
Pilatus Aircraft Ltd is committed to serving the Indian Air Force with its world renowned dedication to Swiss precision and quality, through delivering and supporting the most advanced Basic Flight Training turboprop trainer aircraft in the world – the Pilatus PC-7 MkII.
hope this will save our trainee pilots from having to try out the flying coffins that iaf use
Very good Turn around time for the contract to be signed…. Hope the MMRca is also singed up quickly…
Congrats to Pilatus & IAF ! Very good news !
kitna mileage dayga? petrol bahut mehanga hogayajeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!
If we can make a 4+ generation fighter aircraft LCA Tejas. Why can't we make a trainer aircraft.
I feel this is a good beginning as HAL cannot produce a basic trainer with all the promises with just assembling the subsystem bought from elsewhere and yet again HAL has proved that they can only assemble an aircraft under license.The basic trainer technology is not very complex and P-51 Mustang was designed from scratch in 19 months and flown and then with pilot input they went in for British Spitfire Merlin engine and it was a world beater as a decisive weapon that changed the course of the war.I feel sorry for the state of basic trainer at HAL and they definitely have missed the bus. It is high time they do something about IJT and if they cannot bring out a decent IJT by next next year end HAL would miss another bus.I dont know having air marshal Tyagi as chief of HAL would make any difference. Why they want to do each and everything and fail . Why cant they prioritize the project work first and perform in with a fixed deadline and subcontract subsystem to private companies and just do the assembly and get the product tested and with the feedback modify the project.There is lot of talent at HAL and i feel good management skills and planed integration is required to optimize the resources.
TIMBAKTOO
This is some good news. But we all know that a country can't win war with exported foreign toys, no matter how advance they are. Lack of expertise in the foreign machine, spare parts, limited numbers and can't mass produce from home at will. Case in point Vietnam war – Mig 21 vs F-4.
HAL will benchmark their HTT40 with this basic trainer. The govt should allow them to make the HTT40. Hope they are not planning to make the swiss richer with more orders. Let the orders go to HAL
HAL is an incompetent beaureaucratic copycat organisation. Better known for assembling aicraft and delaying producion and substandard quality and broken promises, the further they are kept from aircraft the better it is.HPT 32 banaa nahin paaye thikse, itne logon ki jaan le li!! HTT 40????? first make IJT flyworthy, forget HAL.