End of the road for IAF`s HPT-32 trainers

N C Bipindra
New Delhi, May 16 (PTI) It is virtually the end of the
road for the Air Force's HPT-32 basic trainer aircraft that
were grounded last August following a crash in which two ace
pilots were killed.
The Indian Air Force is on the verge of retiring the
HPT-32 'Deepak' fleet, used for 25 years to help pilots of the
air force to take baby steps in flying planes.
But the only thin thread that could hold the 125-aircraft
fleet's service life for a few more years is an experiment
that Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is
attempting on the aircraft -- parachute assisted recovery
system for safe landings.
"The service life of HPT-32 is virtually over. If the
HAL's attempt at enabling safe landing of the aircraft with
parachute recovery system succeeds, the aircraft may be in
service for may be two more years," a senior IAF officer told
PTI here today.
The Deepaks or Hindustan Piston Trainer-32 are indigenous
aircraft designed by HAL in late 1970s and inducted into the
IAF to train rookie pilots in their stage-I course in the
flying branch in 1984.
The aircraft, with speeds of 280-kmph and a range of
1,400-km, is used for primary training, observation, liaison
and target towing.
It also has four hard points to carry 255-kg war load,
machine gun pods, bombs and rockets, and can be used as
fighter planes.
In the mishap on July 31 last, an HPT-32 crashed in Medak
district of Andhra Pradesh, killing the two experienced pilots
from the Air Force Academy that trains rookie pilots.
Soon after, the entire fleet of Deepaks were grounded
with the probe into the mishap bringing out structural defects
in the aircraft. Since then, it has remained grounded with the
IAF deciding to get rid of the fleet due to flight safety
considerations.
What the HAL is attempting now is to provide an
additional system to the aircraft to assist its smooth
landing. The parachute system is an aid in recovering the
aircraft by safely lowering it to the ground from an emergency
in the air.
A solid-fuel rocket housed in the aft fuselage is used to
pull the parachute out from its housing and deploy the canopy
full within seconds.
The system is designed into several light airplanes the
world over and the design goal of these systems is survival of
the crew and passengers.
"This parachute system exists in many light aircraft the
world over. If it is successfully integrated into HPT-32, well
and good. We may use the aircraft for a couple of more years.
Or else, it is goodbye to the fleet," the senior officer said.
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