Niti Post
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March 3, 2023
The union cabinet took a couple of important decisions like approving a contract with Larsen & Toubro Limited (L&T) for the acquisition of three Cadet Training Ships at an overall cost of Rs 3,108.09 crore and procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL for Indian Air Force at a cost of over Rs 6,800 crore. The deal with L&T came under Buy {Indian-IDDM (Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)} category and the delivery of ships is scheduled to commence from 2026.
Training of officer cadets
These ships will cater to the training of officer cadets, including women at sea after their basic training to meet the future requirements of the Indian Navy. The ships would also provide training to cadets from friendly countries with the aim to strengthen diplomatic relations. The ships can also be deployed for evacuation of people and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR).
Generating an employment of 22.5 lakh man-days
The ships will be indigenously designed, developed and constructed at L&T shipyard in Kattupalli, Chennai. The project will generate an employment of 22.5 lakh man-days over a period of four-and-half years. This will encourage active participation of Indian shipbuilding and associated industries, including MSMEs. With the majority of the equipment and systems sourced from indigenous manufacturers, these vessels will be a proud flag bearer of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ in consonance with the ‘Make in India’ initiative of the government.
70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft
The union cabinet has also approved the procurement of 70 HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force at a cost of Rs 6,828.36 crore. The aircraft will be supplied over a period of six years. The HTT-40 is a turbo prop aircraft and is designed to have good low speed handling qualities and provide better training effectiveness.
IAF for training of newly inducted pilots
This fully aerobatic tandem seat turbo trainer has air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot re-fueling, running change over and zero-zero ejection seats. The aircraft will meet the shortage of basic trainer aircraft of IAF for training of newly inducted pilots. The procurement will include associated equipment and training aids including simulators. Being an indigenous solution, the Aircraft is configurable for upgrades to incorporate the futuristic requirements of the Indian Armed Forces.
Direct & indirect Jobs to 4500 people
The HTT-40 contains approx. 56% indigenous content which will progressively increase to over 60% through indigenisation of major components and subsystems. The HAL would engage Indian private industry, including MSMEs, in its supply chain. The procurement has the potential to provide direct employment to approx. 1,500 personnel and indirect employment for up to 3,000 people spread over more than 100 MSMEs. The acquisition of the HTT-40 provides fillip to the Indian Aerospace Defence ecosystem and boosts efforts towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’.
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