India has asked BAE Systems to fit the Hawk 100 advanced trainer that has been proposed to meet an Indian Air Force requirement with a Smiths Industries mission system. This system has already been selected for a Sepecat Jaguar upgrade.
Georges Fernandes, the Indian defence minister, and air force head Air Chief Marshall A Y Tipnis have, in the last three months, stated that the Hawk is India's preferred choice for the long-running Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT) requirement, although no aircraft has yet been selected.
Industry sources say that India has requested that the Smiths' system be integrated into the Hawk to provide commonality with India's upgraded Jaguars. The Jaguar continues to be built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL).
A BAE source says India's request is being considered, but adds that it would not only increase the cost of a deal, but would also delay the delivery of the first aircraft. However, the move would allow BAE to adopt an open avionics architecture, and this would enable speedier and cheaper changes to the avionics package.
The source says the manufacturer has delivered a number of proposals to the Indian Government. These include a range of options as well as proposals to ensure HAL's involvement in the programme. This is understood to range from component manufacture to a production line. BAE does not expect to conclude a deal until the end of next March, at the earliest.
India nominally requires 66 AJTs. The air force requires 24 used aircraft within one year of contract signing, 36 new production aircraft within the next three years and a licence for HAL to produce further aircraft.
BAE's proposals include leasing the initial 24 aircraft from an existing customer, although it declines to name the air force as it will not begin negotiations until a deal is signed.
India operates around 170 HAL Kiran 1/2s and about 50 PZL TS-11 Iskras, suggesting it could eventually acquire a significant Hawk fleet. As well as the Hawk 100, India is considering used German air force Dassault/ Dornier Alpha Jets and the RSK MiG-AT.
Although the AJT programme was established about 25 years ago, there is now a political will to proceed in the light of a series of high profile accidents and the Indian air force's poor safety record.
Source: Flight International
