Indian Air Force HTT-40 Ordered

India's defence ministry signed a contract for 70 HTT-40 basic trainers for the Indian Air Force, a week after the purchase was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security. The HTT-40 is a turboprop designed and built domestically, intended to restore the initial training capacity lost when the service withdrew its earlier piston-engined trainer, a gap that had forced the air force to compress its syllabus and lean on other aircraft. Deliveries were to run over six years, and the order was presented as a step in reducing the air force's reliance on imported training aircraft.