India Selects Pilatus Basic Trainer!!!

[Che Guevara]

India has selected the Swiss Pilatus PC-7 aircraft as its beginning trainer for Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots.

The Swiss aircraft, along with Grob’s G-120 TP, Embraer’s EMB-312 Super Tucano, Finmeccanica’s M-311, Hawker Beechcraft’s T-6C Texan-II and Korean Aerospace’s KT-1, participated in the flight trials last year.

“Of the three short-listed firms from the U.S., Korea and Switzerland, the bid made by Pilatus has emerged the lowest,” says India’s chief of air staff, Air Marshal P.V. Naik.

The total cost for the basic trainer is likely to be around $1 billion. The aircraft are expected to be delivered over the next two years.

“We have started price negotiations with the Swiss vendor for supplying 75 aircraft to train new pilots,” Naik says.

After the Pilatus deal is signed, the IAF is likely to send some of its young pilots to Switzerland for training. “As we need a better trainer aircraft, we hope to induct the PC-7 into our fleet in the next two years for training the new pilots,” Naik says.

The PC-7 turbo trainer is a low-wing tandem-seat training aircraft, capable of all basic training functions including aerobatics, instrument, tactical and night flying.

“Offering a reliable and economic training platform, the docile behavior of the PC-7 Mk. II in the hands of a beginner delivers a confidence-building environment for inexperienced cadets,” the company says. “With its highly cost-efficient Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-25C engine, it provides the lowest engine operating costs of all turboprop trainer aircraft.”

The Swiss vendor has sold about 500 aircraft during the past three decades to 21 air forces worldwide.

Following the grounding of the indigenous HPT-32 Deepak trainers by the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. in 2009, the IAF has been scouting for a basic trainer.
India Selects Pilatus Basic Trainer | AVIATION WEEK

 

[ramu]

A billion lost to foreign country trainer. How I wish India had made such a trainer at home that meets the needs of IAF. Lots of people would like to say that IAF wants foreign aircrafts but the truth is somewhere in between. As long as IAF, DRDO, ADA and HAL do not get their act together, India will pay tax payers money to foreign countries. This is the worst form of capital loss ...

 

[Nirvana]

A billion lost to foreign country trainer. How I wish India had made such a trainer at home that meets the needs of IAF. Lots of people would like to say that IAF wants foreign aircrafts but the truth is somewhere in between. As long as IAF, DRDO, ADA and HAL do not get their act together, India will pay tax payers money to foreign countries. This is the worst form of capital loss ...

HAL is Already Working On such Project [Basic Trainer] HTT 40 to Replace Old Deepak Trainer, the Trainer is Already under development and As we Know that Our defence Agencies dont Deliever On time , They went for Another Trainer to Replace Deepak's [Which are Junk and Not In Flying Condition ]

 

[ramu]

HAL is Already Working On such Project [Basic Trainer] HTT 40 to Replace Old Deepak Trainer, the Trainer is Already under development and As we Know that Our defence Agencies dont Deliever On time , They went for Another Trainer to Replace Deepak's [Which are Junk and Not In Flying Condition ]

I have heard enough of this ... A deal made and a deal lost.

 

[SpArK]

Pilatus flies PC-21 with UAE deliveries under way

Pilatus is flying its PC-21 trainer at the show, but remains tight-lipped about the current status of its 25-aircraft deal with the UAE.

The Swiss manufacturer flew its first production aircraft under the deal in November 2010 and had been due to commence deliveries in the first quarter of this year.

"We have delivered aircraft, but we will not comment on the numbers," said a Pilatus official at the show, who pointed further questions on the matter to the UAE air force.

The aircraft flying this week is drawn from Pilatus's PC-21 development fleet, with the UAE not having one of its examples on show. Previous customers for the turboprop-engined type are Singapore and Switzerland.


DUBAI: Pilatus flies PC-21 with UAE deliveries under way

 

[praful]

After the agni success in the morning this is another good news...BANG !!!

 

[Tangent]

HAL is Already Working On such Project [Basic Trainer] HTT 40 to Replace Old Deepak Trainer, the Trainer is Already under development and As we Know that Our defence Agencies dont Deliever On time , They went for Another Trainer to Replace Deepak's [Which are Junk and Not In Flying Condition ]

...........If this is not delivered in time...then we will see another Billion lost .............
Why can't DRDO/HAL let these things to be developed by other parties e.g TAL, Mahindra aerospace, considering their load.
Delegation of the responsibility, technology and R&D is the way forward.

 

[nForce]

Decades on the payroll from Indian tax-payers' money,the HAL could do the least and delivered something so that we would not have the necessity to buy basic trainers from outside.

I say privatize HAL and then see what happens.

It is understandable if funds are the problem.But that is not the problem anymore.Cant HAL make simple propeller guided 2-seater monoplanes?