India's IJT Trainer Takes Flight: Production Looms After Successful Redesign

BENGALURU, INDIA – India's ambitious Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) program, a cornerstone of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited's (HAL) development portfolio, shows renewed promise.

According to sources with knowledge of the project, the IJT could soon enter production after significant design changes and extensive system upgrades.

Extensive Overhaul Addresses Performance Concerns​

The IJT program, a critical step in modernizing the Indian Air Force's (IAF) training fleet, is on track to complete developmental trials following a major redesign.

Significant modifications include a redesigned tail section, addressing problematic stall and spin characteristics, and vital upgrades to avionics systems. These changes aim to rectify crucial issues that had plagued the aircraft since its initial development.

Overcoming Past Setbacks​

From 2016 to 2019, the IJT program was grounded due to safety concerns. A significant challenge was the aircraft's inability to perform six-turn spins in each direction, an essential maneuver for pilot training.

This limitation led to the comprehensive redesign and subsequent re-testing. Nearly 200 sorties over the past five years have been dedicated to validating the modifications and ensuring the aircraft's revised systems perform safely and effectively.

Replacing an Aging Fleet​

The successful development of the IJT is imperative for the IAF. It will serve as the replacement for the country's aging Kiran Mk I and Mk II trainers, which are nearing retirement by 2025.

A modernized fleet of IJTs offers a crucial platform for the IAF to train pilots on advanced systems, preparing them for the rigors of modern aerial combat.

A Milestone for Indigenous Development​

The IJT program has faced numerous delays and setbacks throughout its prolonged development.

If the redesigned IJT successfully completes its trials and enters production, it will represent a landmark achievement for India's indigenous defense manufacturing capabilities.

 

[NSR]

Pray and hope that it passes all tests, including the most important one of spin tests to get into production.
India will have most of the full spectrum airplanes from BAT, IJT, AJT, to full spectrum fighters, to sustain local manufacturing.

 

[Anant]

"After the IJT undergoes a significant redesign and upgrades": What has been going on for 20 years now, exactly? Just cancel the damned thing at this point.

The IJT has only seen one failure after another, and if this article is anything to go by, the aircraft won't enter service for another couple of years at the very least.

Seriously, cancel the project. Document everything very meticulously, including what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong. Put up the prototypes in a museum, and then get going on some new trainer aircraft that doesn't have these issues!

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

"After the IJT undergoes a significant redesign and upgrades": What has been going on for 20 years now, exactly? Just cancel the damned thing at this point.

The IJT has only seen one failure after another, and if this article is anything to go by, the aircraft won't enter service for another couple of years at the very least.

Seriously, cancel the project. Document everything very meticulously, including what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong. Put up the prototypes in a museum, and then get going on some new trainer aircraft that doesn't have these issues!

This is a viscious cycle meant to keep the gravy train running for Sarkaari Naukri jeevis.

Instead of cancelling programs, privatization is a better solution. Anyways these parasite organizations like NAL et al aren't profitable enough to make them worth the paper their share value is printed on.

 

[DrEaDlOcK]

Is it possible to create a Ground attack varient from this platform like super takano but jet powered & increased payload capacity.
That'll do job a notch above apaches and mi35.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

"After the IJT undergoes a significant redesign and upgrades": What has been going on for 20 years now, exactly? Just cancel the damned thing at this point.

The IJT has only seen one failure after another, and if this article is anything to go by, the aircraft won't enter service for another couple of years at the very least.

Seriously, cancel the project. Document everything very meticulously, including what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong. Put up the prototypes in a museum, and then get going on some new trainer aircraft that doesn't have these issues!

It was a hopelessly flawed design since inception. Its problems were myriad and too many to list. Chief among them were the ridiculously short stubby wings and an atrociously miniscule air inlet, both when combined resulted in an aircraft design that could neither produce enough lift nor produce enough thrust due to impaired air flow. Therefore it was hardly surprising it continued to stall and have serous issues with respect to stability mid flight.

Those tow factors itself are more than enough, to determine HAL/ ADA are incapable of even doing basic aerospace engineering design.

 

[GMR]

At last some news on IJT.. hope the horizon is not a very big one...
Sincerely wish that it becomes successful after all the efforts & money put in ..

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

"After the IJT undergoes a significant redesign and upgrades": What has been going on for 20 years now, exactly? Just cancel the damned thing at this point.

The IJT has only seen one failure after another, and if this article is anything to go by, the aircraft won't enter service for another couple of years at the very least.

Seriously, cancel the project. Document everything very meticulously, including what went right, and more importantly, what went wrong. Put up the prototypes in a museum, and then get going on some new trainer aircraft that doesn't have these issues!

Intermediate jet trainers are any ways obsolete. Only the beginner trainer aircraft like pilatus or HTT40 and lead in fighter trainer like BAE Hawk are required. Most countries dont use IJTs anymore.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Is it possible to create a Ground attack varient from this platform like super takano but jet powered & increased payload capacity.
That'll do job a notch above apaches and mi35.

Lead in fighter trainers like BAE Hawk are used for that purpose. India is building its own called HLFT 42

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

This is a viscious cycle meant to keep the gravy train running for Sarkaari Naukri jeevis.

Instead of cancelling programs, privatization is a better solution. Anyways these parasite organizations like NAL et al aren't profitable enough to make them worth the paper their share value is printed on.

NAL is not like HAL. it is a Lab. It does a lot of good work, most of its work goes under the radar. The indigenous content of tejas has gone up by 20% it organisations like NAL which indigenise the components to be mass peoduced by private players.

 

[prabar]

At last some news on IJT.. hope the horizon is not a very big one...
Sincerely wish that it becomes successful after all the efforts & money put in ..

Sir, let them first complete all development trials..
And then count chickens

 

[Kira]

Difficult to see HAL actually producing this bird on time even after all trials have been successfully completed.

 

[Aravind Raveendran]

Its a shame that we can't even make an aerodynamic design for a trainer . Wonder what all these so called qualified morons where doing all these years. With the giant technological advancements we should have atleast become good at designing.

 

[BnglrTester]

NAL is not like HAL. it is a Lab. It does a lot of good work, most of its work goes under the radar. The indigenous content of tejas has gone up by 20% it organisations like NAL which indigenise the components to be mass peoduced by private players.

These labs are the biggest resource wasters. HAL is publicly traded and have a lot of scrutiny. DRDO labs hides their incompetence in the name of secrecy. NAL is an organisation meant for people who are already in their retirement mode right after joining it.

 

[Anant]

Intermediate jet trainers are any ways obsolete. Only the beginner trainer aircraft like pilatus or HTT40 and lead in fighter trainer like BAE Hawk are required. Most countries dont use IJTs anymore.

Please explain this to HAL. This project has been one failure after another, and now is obsolescent for it's role.

 

[Anant]

It was a hopelessly flawed design since inception. Its problems were myriad and too many to list. Chief among them were the ridiculously short stubby wings and an atrociously miniscule air inlet, both when combined resulted in an aircraft design that could neither produce enough lift nor produce enough thrust due to impaired air flow. Therefore it was hardly surprising it continued to stall and have serous issues with respect to stability mid flight.

Those tow factors itself are more than enough, to determine HAL/ ADA are incapable of even doing basic aerospace engineering design.

The sad part about this is that a modified, downscaled Marut design with a single engine would have been a perfectly good trainer to have, but HAL wanted a new design, because futuristic! Messed it up really well, didn't they?

 

[Anant]

This is a viscious cycle meant to keep the gravy train running for Sarkaari Naukri jeevis.

Instead of cancelling programs, privatization is a better solution. Anyways these parasite organizations like NAL et al aren't profitable enough to make them worth the paper their share value is printed on.

Too late for IJT, boss. The IJT concept as a whole is on the way out. It would be a far better idea to have a basic jet trainer followed by LIFTs and conversion trainers.

Why not privatise for the HLFT-42 trainer design instead? The HFT-36 had limited utility now.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

The sad part about this is that a modified, downscaled Marut design with a single engine would have been a perfectly good trainer to have, but HAL wanted a new design, because futuristic! Messed it up really well, didn't they?

True. Marut despite being powered by a substandard engine was a sound aeronautical design. It failed due to obduracy of the then Nehru government who kept insisting on using a domestic engine. However we lacked the technology to fabricate it in house.

A single Maruti without any modifications would have sufficed. It's designer Kurt Tank was so good that even today should they adopt the core design albeit with modern engines, it would still compete well.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

NAL is not like HAL. it is a Lab. It does a lot of good work, most of its work goes under the radar. The indigenous content of tejas has gone up by 20% it organisations like NAL which indigenise the components to be mass peoduced by private players.

Give me a break. The biggest program they had was Sara's. We all know how colorfully they flunked and the program itself was deprioritized by MoD/CSIR.

Presently they are working on is that RTA 90 civil aircraft. Which is going nowhere and is more or less suspended.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Give me a break. The biggest program they had was Sara's. We all know how colorfully they flunked and the program itself was deprioritized by MoD/CSIR.

Presently they are working on is that RTA 90 civil aircraft. Which is going nowhere and is more or less suspended.

dont blame them for saras, in usual fashion at the time, they were given the task of developing a commercial aircraft from scratch, they had some help from the russians at the start but they pulled out. The bureaucracy of the time was highly incompetent and usually give outrageous tasks to these labs without the necessary funding.

As for the RTA 90, 2 billion dollars has been asked from the defence ministry to finance it. They have to make decision, ,whether to build it or not.