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.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

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

Defence.in how these kinds of discussions take place. IAF should be the one to tell HAL whether they need it or not. I suspect that IAF must have initially said they they needed to replace the old kiran trainers, HAL said ok, i will build it. But now IAF saying, oh I dont need it anymore, would be a big L for the IAF, so instead what will happen is that this project will keep on dragging. Different institutions have their own interests and in the end taxpayer money gets wasted. What can anyone do. If govt interferes a lot, they will be blamed for interfering and playing political games or favouritism. This kind of disasters happen in US also.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

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.

So what has changed since then in NAL? Even now the NAL has to face same accursed bereucracy. RTA90 is a dead end. There is hardly any movement because even Government has realized the flawed designs that were proposed and chosen to go cold on project.

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

So what has changed since then in NAL? Even now the NAL has to face same accursed bereucracy. RTA90 is a dead end. There is hardly any movement because even Government has realized the flawed designs that were proposed and chosen to go cold on project.

the reason why RTA90 has stalled is that 2 billion dollars is needed to create prototypes. Commercial airliners are extremely expensive to build. Govt has to think hard before giving that kind of money. It is even grater than AMCA prototype cost. Dont make assumptions about flawed designs etc. There is no proof of anything like that.

things have changed regarding bureaucracy. Their is much greater emphasis on domestic production, much more money is being spent on domestic r&d this business of giving unrealistic targets is over. In past 5 years many dead and decaying projects like hansa and saras have been revived with proper funding and direction. These will bear fruit in next 5 years. Just wait.

 

[Jay K Sinhal]

They have invested so much of resources in terms of time - manpower hours and money that a new clean slate design would have been better.
Even now there is no guarantee that it will fly and serve as presumed.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

the reason why RTA90 has stalled is that 2 billion dollars is needed to create prototypes. Commercial airliners are extremely expensive to build. Govt has to think hard before giving that kind of money. It is even grater than AMCA prototype cost. Dont make assumptions about flawed designs etc. There is no proof of anything like that.

things have changed regarding bureaucracy. Their is much greater emphasis on domestic production, much more money is being spent on domestic r&d this business of giving unrealistic targets is over. In past 5 years many dead and decaying projects like hansa and saras have been revived with proper funding and direction. These will bear fruit in next 5 years. Just wait.

Actually, its stalled because even the government has realized that they won't be building them any time soon and with the quality and performance that's actually required in Civil Aviation. Civil aviation unlike military aviation has a far higher requirement for redundancy and very high reliability performance requirement, else planes will crash.

Unlike military aviation where only the lives of pilot or few crew members are jeopardized in case of failure, a crash of airliner is unacceptable and results in loss of lives of several innocents. That kind of reliability cannot be expected from our DPSU. They just don't have the quality culture ingrained within them to deliver that kind of reliability in design. The government quickly understood and stopped pouring $2billion down the drain.

 

[amerjit johal]

I share other posters anguish - it is staggering that what should have been a straight forward project has gone so badly wrong.
There can be NO excuses.

 

[Sandeep]

India only started developing the IJT in earnest and properly after the B J P came to power as before that it was neglected by the corrupt jihadi party who didn't commit the funds or resources needed to make this jet succeed.

The main problem was that it couldn't perform the crucial 6 turn spin which is a key requirement for a intermediate trainer but they found out the problem and had to make major structural changes to fix it so after that they have to start running the long tests again. Running tests on any jet takes a very long time and usually for a few years before they can certify it ready for flight. Currently it's passed all of the mandatory requirements and are now just certifying the jet and technology. Once that is completed then we can place the orders for this jet.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

India only started developing the IJT in earnest and properly after the B J P came to power as before that it was neglected by the corrupt jihadi party who didn't commit the funds or resources needed to make this jet succeed.

The main problem was that it couldn't perform the crucial 6 turn spin which is a key requirement for a intermediate trainer but they found out the problem and had to make major structural changes to fix it so after that they have to start running the long tests again. Running tests on any jet takes a very long time and usually for a few years before they can certify it ready for flight. Currently it's passed all of the mandatory requirements and are now just certifying the jet and technology. Once that is completed then we can place the orders for this jet.

They had to take help from Argentine Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) to rectify all the issues. However its too little too late. Been saying all the time all technologies have a obsolescence date and thus after so many years IAF seems to have lost interest in pursuing this project anymore,

 

[Apocalypse gupta]

Actually, its stalled because even the government has realized that they won't be building them any time soon and with the quality and performance that's actually required in Civil Aviation. Civil aviation unlike military aviation has a far higher requirement for redundancy and very high reliability performance requirement, else planes will crash.

Unlike military aviation where only the lives of pilot or few crew members are jeopardized in case of failure, a crash of airliner is unacceptable and results in loss of lives of several innocents. That kind of reliability cannot be expected from our DPSU. They just don't have the quality culture ingrained within them to deliver that kind of reliability in design. The government quickly understood and stopped pouring $2billion down the drain.

Yeah, one way to solve this issue would be the C295 local production deal and the future MTA deal. These could provide crucial experience to produce large airliner class aircraft. This might even lead to rise of another aircraft maker other than HAL in India.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

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.

Funny thing, Rolls-Royce (then Bristol Siddeley) had actually asked India to finance a very capable Orpheus engine which was designed specifically for HF-24 Marut for which India could have also held the IP and all of that that for a mere £ 13 million. This was not a large sum even for 1961 and could have been easily made available.
But typical Cha Cha Newroo. He declined and instead rooted for Soviet Union to provide their RD-9F engine instead.

If short-sightedness had a name.

 

[charminar_waale_ismail_bhai]

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.

Some example of "Good work" by NAL would be greatly appreciated.

 

[beencensured]

the reason why RTA90 has stalled is that 2 billion dollars is needed to create prototypes. Commercial airliners are extremely expensive to build. Govt has to think hard before giving that kind of money. It is even grater than AMCA prototype cost. Dont make assumptions about flawed designs etc. There is no proof of anything like that.

things have changed regarding bureaucracy. Their is much greater emphasis on domestic production, much more money is being spent on domestic r&d this business of giving unrealistic targets is over. In past 5 years many dead and decaying projects like hansa and saras have been revived with proper funding and direction. These will bear fruit in next 5 years. Just wait.

Actually, it is about the same cost, but commercial airline could possibly make more profit and save in cost as composite tech of India is good that we can get a lighter aircraft using less fuel.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

the reason why RTA90 has stalled is that 2 billion dollars is needed to create prototypes. Commercial airliners are extremely expensive to build. Govt has to think hard before giving that kind of money. It is even grater than AMCA prototype cost. Dont make assumptions about flawed designs etc. There is no proof of anything like that.

things have changed regarding bureaucracy. Their is much greater emphasis on domestic production, much more money is being spent on domestic r&d this business of giving unrealistic targets is over. In past 5 years many dead and decaying projects like hansa and saras have been revived with proper funding and direction. These will bear fruit in next 5 years. Just wait.

I don't need to make assumptions when their own performance speaks for yheir incapability. The RTA90 was a non starter from get go. The Sara's was to serve as proof of capabilities fir NAL to take up RTA. It was fairly simple, unpressurized aircraft, yet even there they flunked.

Government during periodic review of the project, was given a timelibe that made little sense amd fortunately a practical cost vs benefits analysis revealed it was untenable.

Bro nothing just nothing is possible in 5 years. Especially when u r dealing with something as complex as civil airliners.

 

[Sandeep]

They had to take help from Argentine Fabrica Argentina de Aviones (FAdeA) to rectify all the issues. However its too little too late. Been saying all the time all technologies have a obsolescence date and thus after so many years IAF seems to have lost interest in pursuing this project anymore,

Factually incorrect. They hired a private consultant who recommended the changes and it was done. As for the technology on the jet and its capabilities then they have been modernised. Also the IAF haven’t lost interest as they actively participated in developing it and if there was no reason for it then they would have just cancelled the project.

 

[ABHIJIT APSINGIKAR]

Factually incorrect. They hired a private consultant who recommended the changes and it was done. As for the technology on the jet and its capabilities then they have been modernised. Also the IAF haven’t lost interest as they actively participated in developing it and if there was no reason for it then they would have just cancelled the project.

They consulted FAdeA, there was a news about this way back in around 2017 as well. That's the big reason modified trainer now closely resembles Pampa trainer.

 

[Harry Singh]

Wake me up when it actually flies in about 5 years time