British Hawk to get Indian avionics

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is preparing to install new indigenous avionics in the British Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer in a major move to modernise the aircraft, which are in the process of being inducted into the Indian Air Force.

"Customer-specific avionics equipment for the Hawk MK132 has been supplied by the HAL and has been integrated into the British Aerospace systems Hawk development aircraft ZJ100 to test blend the equipment," according to Dave Corfield, Hawk India programme director.

Corfield said the major changes in the aircraft involved removing of two existing wing looms and their replacement with new sets of avionics developed by HAL.

Besides this, BAE system officials said a number of other critical components of the aircraft, first of which is scheduled to be delivered to IAF by end of 2007, including a new instrumented landing system, a Global Positioning System and an Altitude and Heading Reference system, had also been replaced during modification.

"Intensive testing in flight of the new equipment will take place over the next few months," BAE officials said.

India had signed the Hawk Advanced Jet trainer contract in March 2004 for supply of Hawk MK132 AJT's. Of this, a total of 24 trainers will be built in Brough in BAE systems facilities.

While six aircraft will be delivered to India in kit form assembly, the remaining 36 will be built at HAL. HAL has recently come up with pioneering work on avionics and flight computers and some of the indigenous systems have been assimilated in the Russian frontline SU-30MKI fighters being assembled at HAL facilities.

According to BAE system officials, a total of 300 HAL experts are at present undergoing familiarsation training at United Kingdom and will be there for the next two years. Besides, about 100 IAF flight engineers will undergo school training at nearby Wharton next year.

The British company has also a training programme in place at Royal Air Forces valley in Anglesey where over the next three years around 75 IAF pilots in groups of six or eight will be trained. The first three pilots have already been trained, BAE officials said.