HAL HF-24 Marut: All you need to know about the first 'Make-in-India' fighter jet

HAL HF-24 Marut (Image: Flugrevue.de)

During the World War II, the German Air Force called Luftwaffe ruled the European skies, thanks to their fleet of modern and capable fighter jets. Kurt Tank, a German Aeronautical Engineer and Test Pilot was the head of design development who was responsible for these creations. After the war, Tank spent two decades designing aircrafts in other countries, including his stint in India. During late 1950s, Kurt Tank worked for the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and developed HAL HF-24 Marut.

While many think LCA Tejas is the first and most advanced fighter jet made in India, it was actually the Marut, that can be attributed as the first ‘Make in India’ fighter jet. Not only in India, HAL HF-24 Marut was also the first Asian jet fighter to go past the test phase and was on active duty for almost 25 years.

Here are some interesting facts to know about the HAL HF-24 Marut:

- The fighter jet completed its maiden flight on 17th June, 1961

- The first production Marut was officially delivered to the IAF on 1st April, 1967

- A total of 147 HF-24 Marut were manufactured in almost 20 years of production

- Indian Air Force initially inducted the jet as an interceptor, but the Marut performed multiple ground attack operations for the IAF

- The HF024 Marut was part of Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, notably participating in the Battle of Longewala

- Marut could never cross Mach 1 speed (1234 kmph), although it had been envisioned as a supersonic-capable combat aircraft. For reference, the IAF Tejas can do 1.8 Mach (2222 kmph) speed

- The Maruts were gradually phased out during the late 1980s

- HAL manufactured the Marut is various variants, however, the most were in a single-seater attack aircraft configuration

HAL HF-24 Marut Key Specifications

Crew	1
Length	15.87 m (52 ft 1 in)
Height	3.60 m (11 ft 10 in)
Width (Wingspan)	9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
Weight (Empty)	6,195 kg (13,658 lb)
Takeoff weight	10,908 kg (24,048 lb)
Powerplant	2 × Bristol Siddeley Orpheus Mk 703 turbojets, 21.6 kN (4,900 lbf) thrust
Maximum speed	1,112 km/h (691 mph, 600 kn) at sea level
Combat range	396 km (246 mi, 214 nmi)