HAL HJT-16 Kiran (Ray of Light)

History

Not content with relying on foreign arms purchases, the Indian state has long nurtured the aviation industry. This has produced mixed results, largely focused on foreign suppliers, making India the largest military customer in the world today (2015). However, some programs actually came to fruition, such as the HAL "Kiran" ("Light"), which became the homegrown two-seater premium jet trainer. Since its introduction in 1968, this model has been in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy, totaling more than 200 aircraft.

Design work took place in Bangalore in 1961 and the first flight took place on September 4, 1964.

Kiran is derived from an IAF requirement for an intermediate/intermediate jet trainer capable of preparing Indian pilots for complex high performance jet propulsion flights. This has resulted in a largely conventional design for the aircraft, with unswept, low-mounted monoplane wings, a single tail arrangement, and tricycle landing gear. The crew consisted of two people and were arranged in a spacious cockpit that offered side-by-side seating with good visibility around the front of the plane. The cockpit is very forward in the design, behind the short nose cone assembly.

After passing the testing and evaluation phase, the design was put into service under the name "Kiran" and the first models were designated "Mk I".

HAL built 24 pre-production Mk I models delivered in 1968, followed by 118 Mk I aircraft. These early production models were equipped with British Bristol (Rolls-Royce) Viper turbojets and lacked underwing hardpoints for weapons training. The latter was corrected by the Mk IA, resulting in 72 built to this standard, now with two hardpoints under each wing for rocket pods, conventional drop depots and/or machine gun pods for light attack Function. Additionally, they pipe fuel through disposable external tanks.

The Mk I officially entered service with the Indian Air Force Academy in 1973, and a small portion of the stockpile also fell into the hands of the Indian Navy.

When complete, the Mk IA is powered by a 2,500 pound thrust Viper turbojet. It has a top speed of 430 mph and cruises around 200 mph. Listed service is capped at 30,000 feet.

The Mk II is an upgrade with a 4,200 pound thrust Rolls-Royce "Orpheus" engine. The prototype flew for the first time on July 30, 1976, with the addition of two 7.62mm ADEN machine guns in the nose and an updated hydraulic system.

The new jet was more powerful and better than the original, but its full range and nighttime capabilities limited interest, so much so that development of the model was not officially completed until 1983. 61 Mk II aircraft arrived in early March 1985 and continued deliveries through 1989.

The Indian Navy has again received some (six) Mk II variants.

The Kiran series is currently being replaced by the in-development HAL HJY-36 series of advanced trainers, a more modern replacement. Both are products of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

ARMAMENT

VARIANTS