Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu during the handing over ceremony ceremony where Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is handing over Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Final Operational Clearance (FOC) Twin Seater Trainers & HTT 40 Basic Trainer Aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF).
| Photo Credit: ANI
A handing over ceremony of various military and civil rotary wing aviation along with pilot training platforms which have been developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was held here on September 18 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Civil Aviation K.Rammohan Naidu.
HAL handed over two Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force (IAF), completing the twin seater deliveries under the Final Operational Clearance (FOC) contract.
A contract for 16 LCA fighter aircraft and four twin seaters in FOC configuration was placed in 2010 between the IAF and HAL.
HAL said that the twin seaters are intended to support the training pipeline and facilitate the graduation of trainee pilots from the twin-seat platform to fighter aircraft.
Four Dhruv Next Generation (NG) helicopters were also handed over to Pawan Hans Limited (PHL), marking the induction of the civil-certified Dhruv NG into the civil aviation segment.
The Dhruv NG is a 5.5-tonne, light twin-engine, multi-role helicopter developed by HAL to address demanding operating conditions in India and upgraded for the requirements of the global civil aviation market.
According to HAL the Dhruv NG has a configurable cabin that can be adapted for different civilian roles, including VIP/VVIP transport, passenger and utility, HEMS and air ambulance and also for specialised operations like offshore operations, law enforcement, and disaster relief and search and rescue.
On the occasion, Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 (HTT-40) basic trainer aircraft intended to meet the primary training requirements of the Indian defence services was also handed over to the IAF.
The HTT-40 aircraft which was formally named Ankur on the occasion by the Defence Minister is designed to support multiple stages of basic pilot training, including basic training, aerobatics, general handling,instrument flying, navigation, night flying and close formation flying.
The Bengaluru defence PSU said that the handover of the HTT-40 aircraft to the IAF marks the beginning of deliveries under the Ministry of Defence contract for 70 aircraft.
Published – September 18, 2026 06:06 pm IST
