Indian Air Force might have to abandon intermediate-stage of pilot training

The Indian Air Force may have to switch from a three to two-stage training phase for its fighter pilot trainees as the HAL HJT-36 Sitara is deemed unsuitable for training pilots in the intermediate stage.

Hindustan HJT-36 Sitara Krivchikov 2007
By Sergey Krivchikov [GFDL 1.2 or GFDL 1.2], via Wikimedia Commons

An anonymous source said the aircraft had to be redesigned to solve aerodynamic issues related to stalls and spins. This will add another four to five years to the flight test program.

With the current Kiran jet trainer being phased out in two years time, the IAF may be forced to have students transition from the PC-7 to Hawk.

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