Defense Minister of India Manohar Parrikar on July 17, 2016, attended the inaugural flight of the new fully Indian basic training propeller aircraft HTT 40. The plane was developed by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The first flight was carried out by Group Captain C Subramaniam and Group Captain Venugopal and lasted about 10-15 minutes.

Minister Parrikar congratulated the team of HAL and said: “The young team has taken a calculated risk and they have flown the aircraft within one year and kept their assurance. The indigenous content on HTT-40 is close to 80%. Almost 50% of the components on HTT-40 are manufactured by private players of the Indian aerospace ecosystem. Here, the role of private players and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) has been significant in the production of parts. The IAF is positive in all these developments.”

During the first flight, HTT-40 performed a low-speed pass, a series of turns, high-speed pass, and short-landing using reverse thrust.

HAL must produce three prototypes and two static specimens for ground testing.

HAL started the development of the new aircraft in August 2013. The detailed design of the aircraft was completed in May 2015 and within a year and one month was built the prototype.