Air Force pilots to train on indigenous aircraft:57% made in India; Tejas handed over, Pawan Hans receives four Dhruv helicopters

The Indian Air Force received its first indigenous HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft on Friday, marking the beginning of deliveries under a contract for 70 such aircraft. Developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the aircraft has been named ‘Ankur’. The HTT-40 has been indigenously developed to meet the initial pilot training requirements of India’s defence services. The Air Force had signed a contract with HAL for 70 aircraft in 2023, with deliveries originally scheduled to begin in September 2025. The programme, however, faced a delay of around a year. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu attended the handover ceremony in Bengaluru. Two Tejas trainer aircraft handed over HAL also handed over two LCA Tejas FOC trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force. With this delivery, HAL has completed the supply of four twin-seater aircraft under the FOC contract. The trainer aircraft are equipped with improved radar, an autopilot system, an upgraded fuel system, software-defined radios for secure communications and an air-to-air refuelling probe. Pawan Hans gets four Dhruv NG helicopters At the same event, HAL handed over four Dhruv NG helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited. The delivery marks the first induction of the civil-certified Dhruv NG into the civil aviation sector. The 5.5-tonne helicopter is a light, twin-engine, multi-role aircraft designed and manufactured by HAL. The Dhruv NG has been developed for multiple roles and is expected to expand the use of indigenously designed helicopters in India’s civil aviation sector.