HAL HJT-36
Encyclopedia
The HAL HJT-36 Sitara (Hindi
: सितारा
, Sitārā
: "star
") is a subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL) for the Indian Air Force
and the Indian Navy
. The HJT-36 will replace the HAL HJT-16 Kiran as the Stage-2 trainer for the two forces.
The Sitara is a conventional jet trainer with low swept wings, staggered cockpits and small air intakes on either side of its fuselage. It entered limited series production by 2010, with initial operational capability expected by mid-2011.
awarded HAL a contract for development, testing and certification of two prototype IJT aircraft.
The first and second prototypes of the HJT-36, labeled PT-1 and PT-2, flew on 7 March 2003 and in March 2004, respectively. The program was then delayed with the Air Force assessing the SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
engine, with 14.1 kN of thrust, as under-powered. In response, in August 2005, HAL reached a deal to replace the SNECMA engine with the NPO Saturn
AL-55I with 16.9 kN of thrust. The deal also provided for license-production of the engine in India by HAL.
Further delays were caused by delays in delivery of the NPO Saturn engine by 2 years, as well as due to two accidents in February 2007 and in February 2009 involving each of the prototypes, which grounded the aircraft for repairs and investigations.
The first AL-55I engine was received from Russia
on 28 December 2008, 2 years later than committed, and was installed on PT-1. Following ground taxiing trials, flight tests with the new enigine started on 9 May 2009.
After further development and extensive testing, the Indian Air Force
placed an order for 73 aircraft. After over 280 test flights, the aircraft entered limited series production in 2009 for the first 12 aircraft to be delivered to the Air Force. The first flight test for the limited series aircraft occurred in January 2010, and initial operational capability is expected by July 2011. The Air Force order is expected to grow to over 200 aircraft.
trainer variant.
In the cockpit, the HJT-36 has a conventional tandem two-seat configuration with the trainee pilot forward and the instructor in the raised seat to the rear. The single-piece canopy gives both pilots good, all-round vision. The prototype aircraft used Zvesda K-26LT lightweight zero-zero ejection seats. However, these may be replaced with Martin-Baker
Mk.16 IN16S seats, due to a price escalation of the former. The pilots have both conventional and manual flight controls.
The trainer has a full glass cockpit with a layout similar to current generation combat aircraft. It uses an integrated digital avionics system from GE Aviation Systems. Active matrix liquid crystal multi-function displays from Thales and GE Aviation were evaluated. Head-up display and repeater is sourced from Elbit Systems
. The instructor's station in the rear cockpit has a data entry display panel. The aircraft also has dual VHF and UHF communications sytems.
The aircraft has five external hardpoints for weapons-training. There is one centre-line hardpoint under the fuselage and two weapon pylons under each wing for carrying rockets, gun pods and bombs. The maximum external payload is 1,000 kg.
The prototype aircraft were initially powered by a SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofan
developing 14.12 kN of thrust. All production models will use the more powerful NPO Saturn
AL-55I engine with about 16.9 kN of thrust, as stipulated by the 2005 air staff requirements from the Air Force.
show at the Yelahanka
air base near Bangalore
, PT-1, the first prototype aircraft suffered serious damage when its canopy flew open during takeoff causing the aircraft to veer to the right off the runway. This caused the aircraft to tilt, which damaged the starboard wing. When the pilot tried to regain control of the aircraft, and pulled back on to the runway, one of the tires burst. The program's chief test pilot and the pilot of the aircraft, Squadron Leader Baldev Singh, was unharmed in the incident. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.
On 4 February 2009, PT-2 landed on its belly after a routine aerobatic sortie. The aircraft was co-piloted by Squadron Leader Baldev Singh and IAF test pilot, Wing Commander
C. Subramaniam, who were unharmed. There was structural damage to the undercarriage and one of the wing tips. This may have been caused by conflicting commands from the co-pilots.
On 28 April 2011, a prototype Sitara crashed in Tamilnadu. Both crew ejected safely.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: सितारा
Devanagari
Devanagari |deva]]" and "nāgarī" ), also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
, Sitārā
IAST
The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration is a transliteration scheme that allows a lossless romanization of Indic scripts as employed by the Sanskrit language.-Popularity:...
: "star
Star
A star is a massive, luminous sphere of plasma held together by gravity. At the end of its lifetime, a star can also contain a proportion of degenerate matter. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun, which is the source of most of the energy on Earth...
") is a subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia's largest aerospace companies. Under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence, this state-owned company is mainly involved in aerospace industry, which includes manufacturing and assembling aircraft, navigation and...
(HAL) for the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
and the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
. The HJT-36 will replace the HAL HJT-16 Kiran as the Stage-2 trainer for the two forces.
The Sitara is a conventional jet trainer with low swept wings, staggered cockpits and small air intakes on either side of its fuselage. It entered limited series production by 2010, with initial operational capability expected by mid-2011.
Development
HAL started design work on an intermediate jet trainer in 1997. The concept was developed as a successor to HAL's earlier trainer, the HJT-16 Kiran, introduced in 1968. In 1999, following reviews by the Indian Air Force, the Government of IndiaGovernment of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
awarded HAL a contract for development, testing and certification of two prototype IJT aircraft.
The first and second prototypes of the HJT-36, labeled PT-1 and PT-2, flew on 7 March 2003 and in March 2004, respectively. The program was then delayed with the Air Force assessing the SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
|-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
engine, with 14.1 kN of thrust, as under-powered. In response, in August 2005, HAL reached a deal to replace the SNECMA engine with the NPO Saturn
NPO Saturn
NPO Saturn is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk and Lyul'ka-Saturn . Saturn's engines power many former Eastern Bloc aircraft, such as the Tupolev Tu-154. Saturn holds a 50% stake in the PowerJet joint venture with Snecma...
AL-55I with 16.9 kN of thrust. The deal also provided for license-production of the engine in India by HAL.
Further delays were caused by delays in delivery of the NPO Saturn engine by 2 years, as well as due to two accidents in February 2007 and in February 2009 involving each of the prototypes, which grounded the aircraft for repairs and investigations.
The first AL-55I engine was received from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on 28 December 2008, 2 years later than committed, and was installed on PT-1. Following ground taxiing trials, flight tests with the new enigine started on 9 May 2009.
After further development and extensive testing, the Indian Air Force
Indian Air Force
The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...
placed an order for 73 aircraft. After over 280 test flights, the aircraft entered limited series production in 2009 for the first 12 aircraft to be delivered to the Air Force. The first flight test for the limited series aircraft occurred in January 2010, and initial operational capability is expected by July 2011. The Air Force order is expected to grow to over 200 aircraft.
Design
HJT-36 uses light alloys and composites, with a conventional low wing design with 18° leading edge sweepback and a 9.8m wingspan. It features a hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear. The single-wheeled main units retract inward and the twin nose wheel unit retracts forward. About a quarter of the aircraft's line replaceable units are common between it and the HAL TejasHAL Tejas
The HAL Tejas is a lightweight multirole fighter developed by India. It is a tailless, compound delta-wing design powered by a single engine. It came from the Light Combat Aircraft programme, which began in the 1980s to replace India's ageing MiG-21 fighters...
trainer variant.
In the cockpit, the HJT-36 has a conventional tandem two-seat configuration with the trainee pilot forward and the instructor in the raised seat to the rear. The single-piece canopy gives both pilots good, all-round vision. The prototype aircraft used Zvesda K-26LT lightweight zero-zero ejection seats. However, these may be replaced with Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker
Martin-Baker Aircraft Co. Ltd. is a manufacturer of ejection seats and safety related equipment for aviation. The company origins were as an aircraft manufacturer before becoming a pioneer in the field of ejection seats...
Mk.16 IN16S seats, due to a price escalation of the former. The pilots have both conventional and manual flight controls.
The trainer has a full glass cockpit with a layout similar to current generation combat aircraft. It uses an integrated digital avionics system from GE Aviation Systems. Active matrix liquid crystal multi-function displays from Thales and GE Aviation were evaluated. Head-up display and repeater is sourced from Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems
Elbit Systems Ltd. is one of the world's largest defense electronics manufacturers and integrators. Established in 1967, and based in Haifa, Israel, Elbit employs 11,000 people worldwide....
. The instructor's station in the rear cockpit has a data entry display panel. The aircraft also has dual VHF and UHF communications sytems.
The aircraft has five external hardpoints for weapons-training. There is one centre-line hardpoint under the fuselage and two weapon pylons under each wing for carrying rockets, gun pods and bombs. The maximum external payload is 1,000 kg.
The prototype aircraft were initially powered by a SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac
|-References:NotesBibliography* Gunston, Bill. World Encyclopedia of Aero Engines. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 1989. ISBN 1-85260-163-9-External links:*...
04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofan
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
developing 14.12 kN of thrust. All production models will use the more powerful NPO Saturn
NPO Saturn
NPO Saturn is a Russian aircraft engine manufacturer, formed from the mergers of Rybinsk and Lyul'ka-Saturn . Saturn's engines power many former Eastern Bloc aircraft, such as the Tupolev Tu-154. Saturn holds a 50% stake in the PowerJet joint venture with Snecma...
AL-55I engine with about 16.9 kN of thrust, as stipulated by the 2005 air staff requirements from the Air Force.
Incidents
In February 2007 at the Aero IndiaAero India
Aero India is a biennial air show and aviation exhibition held in Bangalore, India at the Yelahanka Air Force Station. It is organized by Defence Exhibition Organisation, the Ministry of Defence and is held in association with the Defence Research and Development Organisation , the Indian Air Force...
show at the Yelahanka
Yelahanka
Yelahanka is a suburb of Bangalore in the Indian state of Karnataka originally envisaged as a satellite town of Bangalore city, but now part of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.-Location:...
air base near Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, PT-1, the first prototype aircraft suffered serious damage when its canopy flew open during takeoff causing the aircraft to veer to the right off the runway. This caused the aircraft to tilt, which damaged the starboard wing. When the pilot tried to regain control of the aircraft, and pulled back on to the runway, one of the tires burst. The program's chief test pilot and the pilot of the aircraft, Squadron Leader Baldev Singh, was unharmed in the incident. The aircraft was repaired and returned to service.
On 4 February 2009, PT-2 landed on its belly after a routine aerobatic sortie. The aircraft was co-piloted by Squadron Leader Baldev Singh and IAF test pilot, Wing Commander
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
C. Subramaniam, who were unharmed. There was structural damage to the undercarriage and one of the wing tips. This may have been caused by conflicting commands from the co-pilots.
On 28 April 2011, a prototype Sitara crashed in Tamilnadu. Both crew ejected safely.