Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 14L A day into the much talked about five-day “Aero India 2023” in Bengaluru inaugurated by the prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday, a controversy has broken out over the appearance and disappearance of Lord Hanuman sticker from the tail of the the HLFT-42 aircraft model manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and displayed at the airshow.
“After internal discussion, we decided to remove the image of Hanuman as it is not appropriate to put it now,” HAL Chairman and Managing Director CB Anathakrishnan said without assigning any reason why the sticker was removed.
On Monday, there was big buzz at the Aero India 2023 show as HAL showcased a full-scale model of its of supersonic trainer aircraft Hindustan Lead in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42. The model aircraft, which was a major attraction at the show, featured a Hanuman picture on its tail. The aeronautics body said they had decided to use Hanuman’s picture to display the power of the aircraft.
Described as the ‘Next Gen Supersonic Trainer, this plane’s model had the unique tail art of the Lord Hanuman. According to HAL, the imagery was apt as it signifies everything that Hanuman signifies. “A great teacher, great strength, agility. It’s the son of the wind and all that.” The company added that they had decided to use Hanuman’s picture to display the power of the aircraft.
HAL Test Pilot Group Captain HV Thakur said: “Definitely, this is modern but we are carrying some learnings from our old legacy.” Incidentally, the sticker on the tail of the HLFT-42 model also had the text: ‘The storm is coming’ written next to it.
However, eyebrows were raised when the Lord Hanuman sticker wasn’t visible on the plane on Tuesday, but the text — ‘the storm is coming’ — is still visible. Since then, people have been speculating and discussing the disappearance of the Lord Hanuman imagery, prompting HAL chairman and managing director CB Anathakrishnan to react.
Speaking to the media, CB Anathakrishnan said: “We had put Lord Hanuman’s picture on it to showcase its strength but after some deliberations, we decided to withdraw it,” adding, “There was no specific reason for putting the image there. Designers had come up with the image in order to show the prowess of the aircraft. We removed it because we wanted to continue the programme successfully. We do not want any sort of misinterpretations.” But he did not specify what prompted misinterpretations.
HAL’s HLFT-42 is a supersonic jet trainer and is being touted as a game-changer, once it is inducted into service. The plane will be a single-engine fighter aircraft, made entirely of metal to cut costs, and when it is ready for production, it will probably be powered by the F404 engine or Kaveri engine. HAL has said that the trainer jet is aiming to prepare fighter pilots comprehensively for the fifth-generation aircraft.
According to sources within the defence establishment, the HLFT-42 will be equipped with modern avionics like Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA), Electronic Warfare (EW) Suite, Infrared Search and Track (IRST) with Fly by Wire (FBW) control system.
Thakur said, “The need of this project is to train fighter pilots for fifth-generation aircraft in the field. When single-seater aircraft like LCA MK II and Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft will get inducted, the training of the pilots should happen with an aircraft that meets those requirements. This will be the leading trainer aircraft of the 2030s for future aircraft.” He added that the project was conceived in 2017 and if all goes as planned, the trainer jet will be ready in two years’ time for use.
The plane is believed to plug the gap between the subsonic jet training that currently takes place on Hawk-132 and the supersonic jet training that happens on an actual fighter like the Mig-21. Presently, HAL has not given any formal date for the completion of the project, but buzz around the project has already been generated and it is one of the biggest attractions at the Aero India 2023 show.
Aero India 2023, Asia’s largest aero show, was inaugurated by Modi on Monday. The five-day event will see the participation of 809 companies and delegates from nearly 98 countries. The 14th edition of Aero India is showcasing the country as an emerging hub for manufacturing military aircraft, helicopters, military equipment, and new-age avionics.
In his speech, Modi said the event reflected India’s new strength and aspirations. “India’s successes are giving proof of its possibilities and capability and added that Tejas aircraft roaring in the sky is the proof of the success of ‘Make in India’,” PM Modi said.
Though the event is being dominated by military technologies and deal, Aero India 2023 will also see India make efforts to accommodate a domestic travel boom after the Covid pandemic.
