India inducts Swiss-made basic trainer aircraft into service

In its quest to modernise its armed forces, India on Friday unveiled and inducted Pilatus, PC 7 Mk II aircraft into the service. The basic trainer aircraft was unveiled by Minister of State (MoS) for Defence, Jitendra Singh at the Indian Air Force's premier air defence academy located in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. He said, "Imparting high quality flying training to our budding pilots will ensure proficient handling of more sophisticated fighter aircraft in their demanding roles." Singh said the PC-7 MK-II and its associated training infrastructure comprising of simulators and training modules promises higher safety standards while developing the critical skills in military aviation. "The aircraft," he said, "with its excellent handling characteristics, user friendly onboard instrumentation and modern navigation systems, is ideally suited for IAF's training requirements." The PC-7 MK II aircraft would be used for basic training of all pilots of the Indian air force, in addition to the pilots of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. Till now this role was performed by the reliable but ageing workhorse, the HJT-16 Kiran aircraft. Ready to receive the new basic trainer that will bring in a much awaited augumentation of IAF's training capacity, a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade is already underway at the Air Force Academy. Singh said a total of 75 aircraft have been contracted from Pilatus, Switzerland. The procurement of PC 7 MkII was approved by the government in May 2012 and the first batch of PC-7 Mk II arrived at the Academy in February this year as a part of accelerated induction plan. The first batch of Flight Cadets would start their training on PC-7 MK II from July 2013 onwards. Noting the induction of PC7 MK II as IAF's basic trainer aircraft to be a proud moment, Air Commodore Nagesh Kapoor, Chief Instructor (Flying) said, "This event is a significant milestone in IAF's transformation into a modern multi-spectrum strategic force. It is my responsibility to ensure that our pilots and technicians operate the best trainer in the world, the nation can afford." He said, Pilatus will prove to be the ideal platform that will train the ab-initio trainees about the nuances of basic flying and expose them to modern avionics and nav aids. "This trainer will provide a solid foundation and facilitate a seamless transition from ab-initio stage through intermediate and advanced stages into full-fledged operational flying for all streams," Kapoor added.