- News>
- States
IJT second prototype test flown at Bangalore
Bangalore, Mar 27: The maiden flight of the second prototype of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) has been flown successfully at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd airport here.
Bangalore, Mar 27: The maiden flight of the second prototype of the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) has been flown successfully at the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd airport here.
The test sortie, a year after the first prototype took off to the skies, was flown by Sqn Ldr Sapra and Sqn Ldr Baldev Singh yesterday.
"The aircraft was successfully flown over the Bangalore skies for more than 30 minutes," HAL Chairman N R Mohanty told here today.
The flight assumes significance with today's visit of the Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan to the HAL complex here, where the IJT has been designed and developed.
The aircraft, scheduled to fly first in January was put off after the ejection seat was fired accidentally and HAL had to source the seat components from the Russian manufacturer.
IJT is a tandem seat sub-sonic trainer, powered by a French Larzac turbo engine with advance avionics to prepare a fighter pilot for stage two flying training.
IJT, designed and produced in a record 22 months, had its maiden test flight on March 7 last year and is expected to replace the ageing Kiran basic jet trainers of the Indian Air Force starting from the next two years.
IAF, which needs over 200 such aircraft, has already placed orders for 16 IJT's to form its Surya Kiran aerobatic team that would be ready by 2005-06.
Bureau Report
"The aircraft was successfully flown over the Bangalore skies for more than 30 minutes," HAL Chairman N R Mohanty told here today.
The flight assumes significance with today's visit of the Chinese Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan to the HAL complex here, where the IJT has been designed and developed.
The aircraft, scheduled to fly first in January was put off after the ejection seat was fired accidentally and HAL had to source the seat components from the Russian manufacturer.
IJT is a tandem seat sub-sonic trainer, powered by a French Larzac turbo engine with advance avionics to prepare a fighter pilot for stage two flying training.
IJT, designed and produced in a record 22 months, had its maiden test flight on March 7 last year and is expected to replace the ageing Kiran basic jet trainers of the Indian Air Force starting from the next two years.
IAF, which needs over 200 such aircraft, has already placed orders for 16 IJT's to form its Surya Kiran aerobatic team that would be ready by 2005-06.
Bureau Report