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HAL Ajeet (Invincible)

1977 COLD WAR

The Story of HAL Ajeet (Invincible)

The Indian Air Force is the main operator of the classic British Folland "Gnat", a light swept wing subsonic fighter that also has intrinsic value as an advanced jet trainer. Nearly 450 of the models that debuted in 1959 have been built, with a total of 8 squadrons in India, 200 of which are locally built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

In May 1962, the first all-India Gnat made its maiden flight, although the Indian Air Force has been using them for some time. The aircraft was successfully used in combat and ground attack missions during the Indo-Pakistani wars of 1965 and 1971.

Despite the success of the British Gnats service in India, the route was plagued by reliability issues and maintenance issues during the flight. Various wars only took this further under wartime conditions, which led to a new IAF program that sought to improve existing designs through a homegrown company called "Ajeet" ("Invincible").

The resulting work essentially produced an entirely new derivative of the original British fighter. The last two Gnat production fighters were withdrawn from the production line and designated as prototypes for the growing program.

Changes made to Mosquito include new wings ("wet wings") for fuel delivery. Then four underwing attachment points were added - two under each wing element. The control system, one of the original Gnat's points of failure, has been completely redesigned and the stern control surfaces have also been redesigned to improve handling.

Avionics have been upgraded, a new GF4 series Martin-Baker ejection seat has been installed, and the landing gear has been improved, allowing Ajeet to share only 60% parts commonality with British Gnat.

With these changes, on March 6, 1975, a prototype took to the air for the first time. The model is powered by a TJE HAL (Bristol Siddeley) "Orpheus" 701-01 turbojet engine with 4,500 lbs of thrust. The second Ajeet prototype flew for the first time on November 5, 1975.

A development and testing process followed, and the program culminated in the first flight of a production-grade airframe in 1977 on September 30, 1976, including fighter, interceptor, ground attack, and advanced training roles.

When completed, Ajeet will measure 29.7 feet in length, with a wingspan of 22 feet and a height of 8 feet. Empty weight is 5,090 pounds, and maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) is close to 9,200 pounds.

Externally, the series mimics the Folland Gnat in detail, although their added underwing hardpoints set them apart. The Orpheus engine has a top speed of 715 mph, a combat radius of 110 miles, and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet.

In addition to the internal cannon arrangement of fixed 2 x 30mm ADEN cannons, the aircraft is also permitted to transport conventional airdrops and rocket pods from its underwing hardpoints.

Despite the investment, Ajeet is destined to never see combat action against neighboring Pakistan. It was withdrawn in 1991 after a total of 89 aircraft were built, 10 of which were ex-Gnats upgraded to Ajeet standard.

As a result, only three main production variants of Ajeet have been observed, starting with Ajeet Mk.1 - originally named "Gnat Mk.2" by the IAF. These are single-seat ground attack/interceptor forms. The Ajeet Mk. 2 followed as a dedicated two-seater premium jet trainer.

Ajeets stored the inventory of IAF 2nd Squadron.