Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has chosen the Honeywell TPE331-12B turboprop to power its proposed new basic trainer. The HTT-40 is the delayed indigenous candidate to replace the old HPT-32 piston-engine basic trainer in the Indian Air Force (IAF). After delays in development of the HTT-40, the IAF bought 75 Pilatus PC-7 Mk IIturboprops as an interim measure. Those aircraft are now being delivered.
“Our TPE331-12B is one of the most widely used and capable turboprop engines in service today,” said Anjit Ghosh, president of Honeywell Aerospace India. “With our engine at its core, HAL’s new, locally developed HTT-40 will offer pilots rapid acceleration, low fuel consumption, improved reliability and the ability to train for a variety of missions.”
However, the IAF is reportedly reluctant to introduce a second type of basic trainer. It is exercising another 38 options in the contract with Pilatus, bringing the total of Swiss airplanes ordered to 113, against a total basic training fleet requirement of 181.
Honeywell has delivered some 13,000 TPE331s for both military and civil applications, and they have logged 122 million flight hours.
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