IAF launches process to acquire 150 next-generation jet trainers

New Delhi, Aug 13. The Indian Air Force has begun the process of acquiring 150 next-generation advanced jet trainers to replace its ageing fleet of Hawk Mk-132 aircraft and prepare fighter pilots for the increasingly complex demands of modern air combat.

According to media reports, the Ministry of Defence has issued a Request for Information (RFI), marking the first stage of the procurement process. The proposed aircraft will serve as Stage-III trainers, the final stage of the IAF’s fighter-pilot training programme before pilots are assigned to operational fighter squadrons.

The new trainers are expected to bridge the gap between basic and advanced flying instruction and the capabilities of frontline combat aircraft. Trainees will use them to gain experience with systems and operating concepts associated with modern fighters, including airborne radars, electronic warfare suites and beyond-visual-range weapons, before progressing to aircraft such as the Su-30MKI, Rafale and Tejas, and eventually the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA).

Both Indian and foreign manufacturers will be eligible to respond to the RFI. The process will subsequently move to a Request for Proposal (RFP), under which shortlisted companies will submit detailed technical and commercial bids based on the finalised operational requirements.

The RFP is tentatively expected to be issued in December 2027, with deliveries stipulated to be completed within 60 months of the contract becoming effective. If the schedule remains on track, however, the first aircraft is unlikely to enter service at an IAF training base before the mid-2030s.

The proposed programme is also expected to carry significant technology-transfer and localisation requirements. Foreign companies seeking to participate will have to indicate the extent to which manufacturing, technology development and supply-chain activities can be shifted to India.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is expected to be the principal Indian contender. Potential international participants could include Italy’s Leonardo, Korea Aerospace Industries, Boeing and Russia’s Yakovlev.

Aircraft meeting the technical requirements will undergo field trials in India before the contract is awarded to the lowest bidder that meets the prescribed technical criteria.

The new acquisition comes as the IAF seeks to modernise the training pipeline that has relied heavily on the Hawk Mk-132, which entered service in February 2008 and has served as the principal Stage-III trainer for nearly two decades.

At the preceding stage of training, the IAF has been pursuing the HJT-36, renamed Yashas at Aero India 2025. The aircraft has been under development for around two decades and has undergone extensive modifications aimed at resolving its handling characteristics.

HAL has also proposed the HLFT-42, a supersonic trainer intended as a potential successor to the Hawk. The aircraft was showcased as a scale model at Aero India 2023 but has yet to reach the critical design review stage.

The specifications for the proposed 150 aircraft indicate that the IAF is seeking a considerably more capable platform than the Hawk Mk-132.

The RFI calls for fly-by-wire flight controls, a glass cockpit featuring configurable hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls, and a navigation system integrating India’s indigenous NavIC satellite-navigation system with GPS and GLONASS.

The aircraft is also required to be equipped with zero-zero ejection seats, allowing pilots to eject safely even when the aircraft is stationary on the ground.

In another significant requirement aimed at improving pilot safety and training effectiveness, the aircraft should be resistant to departures from controlled flight and have the ability to automatically recover to controlled flight if the pilot releases the controls.

The programme is likely to become an important component of the IAF’s long-term fighter-pilot training architecture. With the Air Force preparing to induct increasingly sophisticated platforms, including the Tejas variants and eventually the AMCA, the replacement for the Hawk will need to provide pilots with a far closer approximation of the systems, workload and flight characteristics they will encounter in frontline combat aircraft.

The acquisition of 150 aircraft would also represent a major opportunity for India’s aerospace industry, particularly if the programme succeeds in establishing a substantial domestic manufacturing and supply chain ecosystem around the next-generation trainer.