Hindustan Aeronautics Unveils Lead-in Fighter Trainer Project

India’s primary aircraft manufacturer is proposing a highly capable advanced trainer with the potential to be re-roled for operational duties.

HAL HLFT-42 — A company graphic depicts the HLFT-42 in fighter configuration, with an impressive loadout of 10 Astra and two ASRAAM air-to-air missiles. (Photo: HAL)

By Jon Lake

February 20, 2023

Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) displayed a model of its company-funded HLFT-42 (Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer) concept at the recent Aero India show, despite the apparent lack of a formal Indian Air Force requirement for the jet. The project is being positioned as a lead-in fighter training (LIFT) aircraft that will have performance and systems representative of frontline types, allowing it to download training from operational aircraft while exposing pilots to modern sensors, weapons and roles at lower cost. It is intended to provide a stepping stone between the subsonic jet training currently undertaken on the BAE Systems Hawk 132 and frontline type conversion.

The aircraft follows a number of previous Indian LIFT projects, including the joint BAE Systems-HAL Advanced Hawk offered to the Indian Air Force in 2017, and the HAL Light Combat Aircrafrt (Tejas)-based SPORT (Supersonic Omni Role Trainer Aircraft), first revealed in 2019. It has been reported that the HLFT-42 will use state-of-the-art avionics from HAL’s proposed Hawk-I upgrade, including some equipment originally developed for the Jaguar DARIN modernization. It is also expected to incorporate a locally developed active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, an indigenous electronic warfare suite, an infrared search and track (IRST) system, and an embedded virtual training system that will allow realistic combat scenarios and large-force engagements to be simulated.

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