Indo Asian News Service,
Bangalore: India and Russia Thursday signed an inter-governmental pact for transfer of technology to India's aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for making engines to power a home-grown trainer jet.
Under the pact, India will be issued a licence by NPO Saturn, a leading Russian aerospace firm, for making the AL-55I engines at its Koraphut complex in Orissa.
According to a HAL statement issued here, Additional Secretary S. Banerjee from India's defence ministry and Russia's deputy chairman for military-technical cooperation A.V. Denisov signed the agreement in the presence of HAL Chairman Ashok K. Baweja at the Russian air show MAKS-05 near Moscow.
HAL and Russia's Rosoboronexport State Corporation had Tuesday signed another agreement in the presence of President Vladimir Putin for NPO Saturn to transfer the licence and technical documentation to HAL for making the engines.
The engines will power the Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) developed by HAL. The IJT is currently powered by engines made by the French firm Snecma.
'The AL-55I engines will be fitted on the IJTs for the second stage of pilot training. The IJT prototypes are currently flying with French Larzac engines and the AL-55I will power the series production of the aircraft,' the HAL statement said.
HAL estimates a demand for about 200 IJTs from the Indian Air Force (IAF) for training its fighter pilots.
The new engine is being developed by NPO Saturn and produced by UMPO in Russia.
Thursday's agreement envisages the joint development of the AL55I engine at an estimated cost of Rs.1.85 billion and subsequent production of about 1,000 engines at the Korhaput complex of HAL.
The AL-55I engine will have a power thrust of 1.7 tonnes, higher than the 1.4 tonnes of the French engine fitted in two IJT prototypes currently undergoing development test flights.
The indigenous IJT, designed and built in a record 22 months, was first flown in March 2003 and is intended to replace the ageing Kiran trainer currently in service with the IAF.
The IAF has over 225 Kirans that will be replaced by the IJT beginning 2007.
