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HAL HJT-36 Sitara (Star)

2018 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History

The Indian military industry has been working hard to wean itself off its dependence on foreign suppliers through indigenous designs - some proving successful, some not. When it came time to upgrade its mid-size jet trainer fleet - currently HAL Kiran in the 1960s - the Indian military turned again to HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), an effort that resulted in the nascent HJT 36 "Sitara". Although the Sitara is still in development as of March 2014 and is expected to be certified sometime in 2014, it will be shown as the next jet trainer for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy.

The HJT-36 was originally scheduled to enter service in 2012.

The HJT-36 originated from a program in 1997 that resulted in a contract for two prototypes in 1999. The first flight was recorded on March 7, 2003. Since then, the program has faced multiple delays and high-profile incidents. However, the Indian Air Force firmly supported the product and eventually requested 73 examples of this type.

Full-scale production itself has been delayed, and a final operational release is now expected in December 2014. Quantitative production was planned shortly thereafter. Since then, several major revisions have been made to eliminate the flaws found in the original design.

Intermediate jet trainers are an important aspect of Indian Air Force (and Navy) pilot training. It is an essential "bridge" between basic training and continuing education, and is used to train new pilots in the nuances of highly complex modern aircraft.

In fact, pilot error has been blamed on almost half of all IAF crashes since 1970, with few other causes.

The design of the HJT-36 is very traditional, with student and instructor cockpits arranged in tandem. Both cockpits come standard with ejection seats, behind a flat, low nose cone, while an oversized canopy provides excellent visibility around the aircraft.

The single-engine unit was buried in the fuselage and flowed out through a small opening under the stern. Inhalation is via two small crescent-shaped ports on either side of the rear cockpit. The empennage consists of a vertical fin attached to a pair of low-lying horizontal planes.

The wings were mounted low on the sides of the fuselage, with the leading edge swept back and the tip truncated. The landing gear is a traditional tricycle arrangement, with a single-wheel design for the main legs and a dual-wheel design for the front legs. All are fully scalable.

The aircraft is powered by a Russian NPO Saturn AL-55I turbofan engine that can provide up to 4,550 pounds of thrust, but has no afterburner capability. Top speed is 620 mph, range is up to 620 miles, and service is capped at 30,000 feet.

In addition to the basic mid-level trainer, the IAF retains a light attack variant that provides support for missile and cannon pods as well as conventionally dropped bombs. There are five expected hard points, including four lower wings.

In January 2014, due to the progress (or lack) of the HJT-36 program, the Indian Air Force formally requested the Ministry of Defense to procure a foreign medium jet trainer. In 2014, fifteen years have passed since the launch of the HJT-36 program.