A Hawk advanced jet trainer

New Delhi, Nov. 9: The first of the advanced jet trainers is set to land in the country this Diwali weekend, a quarter of a century after the Indian Air Force asked for them.

The first two Hawk advanced jet trainers have taken off from the UK today for their new base at Air Force Station Bidar in south India.

While the beginning of the deliveries is reason to celebrate for the Indian Air Force, it is also a comment on India’s tardy defence procurement process.

India contracted 66 Hawks from British Aerospace in March 2004 after mooting the proposal in 1982 that armed forces headquarters and the government toiled over for more than two decades before finally contracting BAE Systems for the Rs 6,000-crore deal.

The two jets are the first of 66 Hawks that the IAF will get. Of these, 24 are being built in the UK and 42 will be licence-produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. The AJTs will fill a gap in the training requirements for fighter pilots.

“The induction of the Hawk aircraft marks the fulfilment of a long-pending requirement in the Indian Air Force for an advanced jet trainer. The Hawk aircraft, with a proven design and advanced avionics, would bridge the gap between the performance spectrum of the intermediate trainer and front-line fighter aircraft which trainee pilots would finally fly in operational squadrons. As a dedicated trainer, the aircraft would greatly enhance flight safety and have a beneficial impact on the quality of training being imparted to fighter pilots,” a senior IAF officer said.

Mark Parkinson, managing director training solutions at BAE Systems, said: “This is a proud day for everyone involved in the Indian Hawk programme. Delivering the first Indian Hawks, on time and budget, marks a significant milestone in the project. We are also particularly pleased to be delivering these exciting new aircraft to the IAF in their 75th anniversary year.”

Since the contract was signed in March 2004, more than 75 IAF pilots trained on the current RAF Hawk fleet at RAF Valley in Wales. BAE officials said the two IAF Hawks that took off today will reach “in the next two days” after refuelling stops.