HAL Hands Over Tejas FOC Trainers, First HTT-40 Ankur and Dhruv-NG Helicopters to IAF, Pawan Hans
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Friday delivered two LCA Tejas twin-seater trainer aircraft in Final Operational Clearance (FOC) configuration and the first HTT-40 basic trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force, while also handing over four Dhruv Next Generation (Dhruv-NG) helicopters to Pawan Hans Limited.
The ceremony, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, brought together three separate indigenous aviation programmes at one event: an advanced fighter trainer, a basic military trainer and a civil helicopter platform. HAL said the occasion reflected the growing reach of Indian aerospace manufacturing across defence and civilian aviation.
The deliveries also closed important chapters in two programmes while opening new ones. The two Tejas FOC twin-seaters complete the twin-seater deliveries under the original FOC contract. The first HTT-40 marks the start of deliveries under the Ministry of Defence’s order for 70 basic trainer aircraft. The Dhruv-NG handover similarly begins deliveries under HAL’s contract with Pawan Hans.
HTT-40 named ‘Ankur’
During the ceremony, the HTT-40 was formally named “Ankur”. The aircraft has been designed by HAL’s Aircraft Research and Design Centre as an indigenous basic trainer intended to meet the primary training needs of the Indian Defence Services and support different stages of foundational pilot instruction.
The trainer is built for basic flying, aerobatics, general handling, instrument flying, navigation, night flying and close formation flying. HAL has paired the aircraft with a wider training ecosystem that includes a Cockpit Procedure Trainer, a Full Base Fixed Mission Simulator and computer-based training systems.
Powered by a 1,100 SHP turboprop engine, the HTT-40 has a maximum speed of 300 knots, a normal training weight of 2,960 kg, a service ceiling of 6,000 metres and a range of about 1,000 km. It can remain airborne for roughly three hours and carries 450 kg of fuel.
The aircraft has an 11-metre wingspan, measures 10.06 metres in length and stands 3.5 metres tall. HAL says it has been designed to withstand a maximum load factor of +6/-3g and includes an ejection seat, an air-conditioned cockpit and modern avionics suited to present-day military training requirements.
The HTT-40 first flew on May 31, 2016, and later underwent an extensive development, evaluation and validation programme with the Indian Air Force. According to HAL, the trials covered handling qualities, stability and control, systems performance, engine relight, hot-weather operations, sea-level operations, crosswind operations, night flying, range and endurance.
Its induction gives the IAF an indigenous aircraft for the first stage of military flying training. The basic trainer is a key part of the pilot training pipeline, allowing trainees to build core flying skills before moving on to more advanced aircraft.
Tejas twin-seaters complete FOC deliveries
The handover of the two LCA Tejas FOC twin-seaters completes an important phase in India’s indigenous fighter aircraft programme. The Ministry of Defence and the IAF placed a contract with HAL in 2010 for 16 LCA fighter aircraft and four FOC twin-seaters.
HAL delivered all 16 FOC fighter aircraft in 2022-23. The twin-seater variant later reached the Release to Service milestone in September 2023, and deliveries of the FOC trainers began in 2024-25 with aircraft SPT5 and SPT6.
The final two aircraft, SPT7 and SPT8, come with a series of upgrades. HAL said these include improvements to radar performance, autopilot handling, the fuel system and avionics software, as well as an air-to-air refuelling probe. Software Defined Radio was incorporated into the last two aircraft during November-December 2025.
The LCA FOC Trainer is a lightweight, all-weather, multi-role aircraft designed primarily to meet the IAF’s Tejas training needs while retaining fighter capability. Its features include relaxed static stability, a quadruplex fly-by-wire flight-control system, carefree manoeuvring, an advanced glass cockpit, integrated digital avionics and advanced composite materials.
HAL is already looking beyond the completed FOC twin-seater contract. The company said it is developing LCA Mk1A trainers under the 83-aircraft and 97-aircraft contracts, with the aircraft under the larger contract expected to incorporate the capabilities of the Mk1A fighter.
These planned features include an Active Electronically Scanned Array radar, an electronic warfare suite, avionics upgrades, modernised mission and display systems, LDP4i integration, IRNSS, the HMDAS DASH V helmet-mounted display system and additional weapons capability, including beyond-visual-range and advanced short-range air-to-air missiles. HAL has said it aims to deliver 29 Mk1A twin-seaters to the IAF by 2033-34.
Dhruv-NG enters civil aviation
The third platform handed over at the event was the Dhruv-NG helicopter. Four aircraft were delivered to Pawan Hans, marking the entry of the civil-certified Dhruv-NG into the civil aviation segment.
The Dhruv-NG is a 5.5-tonne, light twin-engine, multi-role helicopter developed by HAL for demanding operating conditions in India and adapted for the global civil aviation market. HAL describes it as India’s first indigenously produced civil helicopter meeting AS-4 requirements, which makes it suitable for offshore operations.
The helicopter is powered by twin Shakti 1H1C engines and features a civil-certified glass cockpit, modern avionics, advanced navigation systems and enhanced situational awareness capabilities. HAL says its safety features include crashworthy seats, self-sealing fuel tanks and a twin-engine configuration that provides redundancy.
The Dhruv-NG has a configurable cabin that can be adapted to several civilian roles. These include VIP and VVIP transport, passenger and utility operations, air ambulance missions, specialised offshore operations, law enforcement, disaster relief and search-and-rescue work.
For passenger use, the cabin can carry up to 14 passengers. In VIP and VVIP configuration, it can seat four to six passengers. The air ambulance version can accommodate four stretchers along with a doctor and an attendant.
HAL is also offering integrated after-sales and lifecycle support for the Dhruv-NG. The support package includes Power-by-Hour and Performance-Based Logistics models aimed at maintaining fleet serviceability and providing structured long-term support.
The simultaneous handover of the Tejas twin-seaters, HTT-40 and Dhruv-NG helicopters highlighted the spread of HAL’s aerospace portfolio across fighter aviation, basic pilot training and civil rotary-wing operations. The event also showed how several indigenous programmes have moved from development and certification into production and delivery.
For the Indian Air Force, the HTT-40 provides an indigenous solution for the basic training stage, while the Tejas twin-seater strengthens the training ecosystem around India’s homegrown fighter aircraft. For civil aviation, the Dhruv-NG delivery to Pawan Hans expands the use of domestically manufactured helicopters for civilian tasks.
HAL said the three programmes together point to the importance of building not only aircraft but also the wider support ecosystem around them, including design, testing, certification, avionics, training systems, maintenance and lifecycle support. According to the company, these capabilities are essential for sustaining indigenous aviation platforms over their operational lives.
With the completion of Tejas FOC twin-seater deliveries, the start of HTT-40 “Ankur” deliveries and the arrival of the Dhruv-NG in civil service through Pawan Hans, HAL marked a single day of progress across India’s military and civil aerospace programmes.
