A handing over ceremony of various military and civil rotary wing aviation along with pilot training platforms which have been developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) was held here on September 18 in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Civil Aviation K.Rammohan Naidu.
The HTT-40 aircraft which was formally named Ankur on the occasion by the Defence Minister is designed to support multiple stages of basic pilot training, including basic training, aerobatics, general handling,instrument flying, navigation, night flying and close formation flying. The Bengaluru defence PSU said that the handover of the HTT-40 aircraft to the IAF marks the beginning of deliveries under the Ministry of Defence contract for 70 aircraft.
HAL said that the twin seaters are intended to support the training pipeline and facilitate the graduation of trainee pilots from the twin-seat platform to fighter aircraft. According to HAL the Dhruv NG has a configurable cabin that can be adapted for different civilian roles, including VIP/VVIP transport, passenger and utility, HEMS and air ambulance and also for specialised operations like offshore operations, law enforcement, and disaster relief and search and rescue.
