Hindustan Times ·
HAL to deliver LCA trainer, Dhruv NG on Friday
The trainers and helicopters will be delivered in the presence of defence minister Rajnath Singh and civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will hand over two light combat aircraft (LCA Mk-1) trainers to the Indian Air Force on September 18, marking the completion of a contract signed in 2010, people aware of the matter said on Tuesday. The state-run plane maker will also deliver four Dhruv NG helicopters to Pawan Hans the same day, as it sharpens its focus on the civil aviation business, the people said. The helicopter service provider ordered 10 such multi-role helicopters in January.
IAF ordered 40 LCA Mk-1s in the initial operational clearance (IOC) and the more advanced final operational clearance (FOC) configurations—the first variants of the LCA. The IOC contract for 20 aircraft was signed in 2006 for completion by 2011 and the FOC contract for another 20 aircraft was inked in 2010 for completion by 2016. The initial LCA orders comprised 32 single-seater jets and eight twin-seat trainers. The fighters and six trainers are already in service, split between two LCA squadrons.
