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| Pilatus PC-7 Mk.2 | Photo / Pilatus Aircraft |
The Indian Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) has just approved a deal for 75 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The deal with Swiss firm Pilatus will be signed soon for the PC-7 Mk.2, deliveries of which are to begin 15 months after contract signature, with 24 aircraft to be delivered within 25 months.
Livefist had reported first on the probability that the deal would be cleared this week.
Pilatus is unlikely to put word out until contract signature, so I’m not expecting anything official from them yet. Lots of tough questions on the deal, the grounded HPT-32s, HAL and the IAF. Will get deeper into them over the next few days.
Thank God, finally it came through.
first on livefist again! lage raho shiv bhai, you are theee best!!
A silver lining in the sky.
HPT-32s… to be sold… as scrap…
I get that it's a good thing that finally the Indian Air Force is getting basic trainers. The worrying aspect is that isn't this moving backwards? Indians actually manufactured basic trainers, now they're back to buying them from abroad!!! Isn't this worrying?!
Following the Pilatus basic trainer deal, M777 is also coming through…Good week for our forces
http://zeenews.india.com/news/nation/india-to-buy-m777-howitzers-from-us_774730.html
145 m777 for Rs 3k cr
For strange reasons the usually ignorant media is dubbing this a deal for "jet trainers"!
Finally! Our brave young pilots will be breathing a sigh of relief. Now fast track the deal of intermediate and advanced trainers and MMRCA and follow-up.
Our squadron strength and aircraft availability is shameful. With both our noisy neighbors rapidly building up forces, we need to get with the program and at least build an effective deterrence.
I feel ashamed as a Indian that we have to import Basic trainers.
Why cannot we have a indigenous trainer.
If HAL, NAL are incapable of doing it, invite private sector for doing it.
We have responsible companies like L&T, Tata, Mahindras and Godrej. Why they are not invited to design & manufacture these sort of aircraft.
Its not that HAL is incapable of designing a simple basic trainer when it has already done an intermediate jet trainer. Any product is made when the requirement is projected by the air force and the project is approved by MoD. This hasnt happened till now. Nonetheless HAL has started designing the HTT-40 basic trainer for the airforce. The planning at the high levels of our forces has not been spot on..