AJT is subjected to rumours and some stupid ideas. We don't get into rumours, he said when asked if there are any contenders apart from Britains Hawk.
Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on Friday assured the nation that acquisition of Advance Jet Trainer aircraft would not be held up for lack of funds.\n\n\n\n
During these seven decades, the IAF has lost 2,374 aircraft to crashes. They include 1,126 fighters and 1,248 non-combat aircraft. In addition, 229 trainers and 196 helicopters have crashed. These crashes have resulted in the deaths of 1,305 skilled pilots, note Ajai Shukla and Devesh Kapur.
The CBI had registered a preliminary enquiry in 2016 which was later converted into a regular case, they added.
Company officials are refusing to budge on the price agreed last September.
The Indian Air Force is planning to induct 20 more Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer aircraft from the British BAE Systems for its aerobatic team Surya Kiran which has been grounded since last year.
Rolls-Royce plc, a UK-based aero engine giant, announced on Friday that it was bidding for engines for Air India's 2.2 billion aircraft acquisition plan
Rolls-Royce plc, a UK-based aero engine giant, announced on Friday that it was bidding for engines for Air India's 2.2 billion aircraft acquisition plan
Experts feel there is scope for a trainer beyond AJT and many countries are looking to develop one.
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd will unveil a mock-up display of its Combat Air Trainer, a twin-engine home grown Advanced Jet Trainer, during the Aero India show that begins in Bangalore on Wednesday.
The MiGs, said the air chief, will be replaced by the Hawk AJT.
The Indian Air Force put its might on display at the full dress rehearsal on Tuesday, ahead of the 83rd Air Force Day on October 8, at the Hindon air base in Ghaziabad.
Boeing is likely to vie for the deal to supply 110 fighter jets to the IAF in one of the biggest such procurement in recent years globally which could be worth over USD 15 billion.
The defence ministry has put on hold all existing and future deals with Rolls Royce pending a CBI probe ordered into allegations of bribery and engaging middlemen in contracts worth Rs 10,000 crore for supply of aircraft engines to state-owned HAL.
'The most ambitious part of the BAE-HAL agreement involves building an advanced version of the Hawk, which could be used as a light, manoeuvrable, fighter that could operate in the narrow valleys of India's Himalayan frontier, where high-performance fighters cannot turn,' reports Ajai Shukla.
One of the most sought after exhibitions in Asia, as many as 549 companies are participating this year with 53 fighter aircraft on display.
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