Versatile Aircraft For Primary, Aerobatics, Instrument, Night Flight

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited announced its first Hindustan Turbo Trainer-40 Series Production aircraft, the TH 4001, took flight at the company’s facility in Bengaluru on October 24, 2025. The HTT-40 is an ab initio training aircraft designed for primary training requirements.

HAL said in a post on X, “HTT-40 Basic Trainer Aircraft is a fully aerobatic, tandem-seat, turboprop aircraft built to provide basic flight training, aerobatics, instrument flying, and night flying.”

The aircraft also has an air-conditioned cockpit, modern avionics, hot refueling, rapid pilot changeover, and zero-zero ejection seats.

The aircraft is built around a proven turboprop engine and is designed with good low-speed handling qualities to enhance training effectiveness. It will be certified to the FAR Part 23 standard. The HTT-40 first flew in May 2016 and received system-level certification in June 2022.

The HTT-40 has a max speed of 450 km/hr / 243 kts and its max service ceiling is 6 km / 19,685 ft.

The Indian Armed Forces signed a contract with HAL for 70 HTT-40 aircraft, the delivery of which was scheduled to begin in September 2025. It will be deployed for the ab initio training of pilots of the IAF. The order includes a Full Mission Simulator for the aircraft to supplement aerial training and enable pilots to practice a variety of mission profiles on the ground before conducting actual sorties.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “We can no longer remain limited just to the LCA Tejas or HTT-40. Now is the time that we establish our identity in the field of next-generation aircraft, unmanned systems and civil aviation as well.”

He added, “And I am fully confident that HAL Nashik will play an important role in all these areas in the coming times. Today, we are emphasising state-of-the-art, indigenous technologies. I am very pleased to see that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited is strongly representing India in this direction.”

FMI:  hal-india.co.in/