Defence Ministry signs procurement deals with HAL and L&T

As per the contracts, the ministry would acquire 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force at a cost exceeding Rs 6,800 crore from HAL and procure three cadet training ships worth over Rs 3,100 crore from L&T.

Both the procurement proposals were cleared by the prime minister-led Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) on March 1.

"The ministry of defence on March 7 signed contracts with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for procurement of 70 HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft and three cadet training ships respectively in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh," the ministry said.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will deliver the 70 HTT-40 aircraft to the Indian Air Force over a period of six years, while the delivery of the three cadet training ships under the contract with Larsen & Toubro Ltd (L&T) is scheduled to start from 2026.

Officials stated that the HTT-40, which is a turboprop aircraft, is known for its good low-speed handling qualities and is deemed to provide better training effectiveness. Additionally, they noted that the aircraft contains around 56 percent indigenous content, which is expected to increase progressively to over 60 percent through the indigenization of major components and subsystems.

"The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of Indian Air Force for training of newly-inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated equipment and training aids including simulators," the ministry said in a statement.

"Being an indigenous solution, the aircraft is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years," it said.

The procurement has the potential to provide direct and indirect employment to thousands of people spread over more than 100 MSMEs, the ministry said.

The cadet training ships, the ministry said, will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women, at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy.

The ships will be designed, developed indigenously and constructed at the L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai.

"The project will generate employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs," the ministry said.