‘India’s journey from UPA’s scandal to PM Modi’s self-reliance’: Tejasvi Surya on HAL’s HTT 40

Bengaluru, Feb 13 (IANS) Coming down heavily on the UPA-led government, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said on Thursday that the Hindustan Aeronautical Limited's (HAL), HTT 40 aircraft, is a symbol of India's journey from UPA’s scandal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s self-reliance.

Tejasvi Surya to social media to highlight India’s journey under PM Modi. "Today, I had the opportunity to fly in the HAL-manufactured indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft HTT-40. This aircraft has seen the light of day only because of the relentless efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Late Defence Minister Shri Manohar Parikkar," Surya wrote on X.

He added that former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stood rock solid behind HAL, ensuring the HTT-40's revival and delivery in a record 40 months, adding that the IAF is going to start using this as the basic trainer jet starting next year - a full step towards indigenisation and self-reliance.

Surya further charged that the UPA government in 2012 had sidelined the procurement of this very aircraft and instead procured Pilatus PC-7 from a Swiss company, a deal later marred by a Rs 339 crore corruption scam.

"Pilatus allegedly paid bribes using middlemen and offshore accounts—violating Indian law. The CBI later registered an FIR, and Pilatus was blacklisted in 2019,” he said.

He also pointed out that this decision not only compromised India’s indigenous capability but also led to the misuse of taxpayer money and middlemen thrived at the cost of national security.

“After 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged HAL, gave it resources and ensured the project was revived. This is a reminder for the country that with the right political leadership, the country's institutions and scientists will flourish and produce the best. And with the wrong leadership, the country's security interests and indigenous capabilities will not only be compromised but the country's taxpayers’ money will also be looted,” Surya added.

He further emphasised that this is a story of how India moved in the last 10 years from scandals to self-reliance, from foreign dependence to Atmanirbharta.

Tejasvi Surya’s post has also generated a debate on social media, prompting Akhilesh Mishra CEO of BlueKraft Digital Foundation to react.

Mishra has reposted Surya’s post, saying that ‘there is a story here in this tweet apart from the pics’.

“Story of how EVERY defence deal under Congress was a saga of scandal and loot. And how Modi government has fundamentally redefined Aatmnirbharta in defence acquisition. HTT 40: Success of HAL. Commitment of PM Modi,” Mishra wrote.

On Thursday morning, Surya took a sortie on the HTT-40, India's fully indigenous Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA), at the Aero Show.

Soon after his sortie, he reflected on the journey of the making of the HTT-40, saying that India has now moved on from scams under the UPA to self-reliance under Prime Minister Narendra Modi by developing its own fully indigenous BTA.

He added: “Flying the HTT-40 was an incredible experience. This aircraft is a testament to India’s engineering excellence and a shining example of how, with the right policy and support, our scientists and engineers can achieve anything.”

The HTT-40, developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for the Indian Air Force (IAF), is a fully aerobatic aircraft, powered by a four-bladed turbo-prop engine, equipped with a state-of-the-art glass cockpit and the latest safety features, including a zero-zero ejection seat.

It marks another significant step towards achieving greater self-reliance in Defence and aviation, aligning with the Prime Minister's vision of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ by eliminating the dependency on foreign BTAs for pilot training.

Speaking after his sortie, Surya said, "The HTT-40 represents India’s journey from scam to self-reliance, from foreign dependency to Atmanirbharta.”

He highlighted how in 2012, under the UPA government, India procured Swiss Pilatus trainer aircraft through a Rs 3,000 crore deal.

However, the procurement process was later riddled with irregularities, leading to a CBI enquiry in 2019, which revealed the involvement of middlemen in the deal.

Consequently, Pilatus was blacklisted, leaving India in urgent need of an indigenous training aircraft.

During this time, HAL had been working on a domestic alternative.

However, the indigenous programme faced repeated setbacks and it was only in 2014, under the Prime Minister’s leadership and with then Defence Minister, late Manohar Parrikar’s support, that HAL received the necessary funding and policy backing to revive the trainer aircraft project.

“Within 40 months, HAL successfully developed the HTT-40, proving India’s ability to transition from import dependency to self-reliance in the aviation sector,” Surya stated.

“This achievement is dedicated to the late Manohar Parrikar, whose vision for self-reliance in Defence was instrumental in reviving the indigenous trainer programme," he further said.

"The HTT-40 was first inaugurated by him under the guidance of PM Modi and today, it stands as a symbol of India’s transformation in Defence manufacturing,” said Surya.

The success of HTT-40 would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of HAL’s chief designers, Suma Prakash and Ramanand, along with an entire team of engineers, scientists, and workers.

“On behalf of the citizens of India, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to HAL and its workforce for this historic achievement. This is a win for our nation, and it showcases our ability to develop cutting-edge Defence technology,” Surya said.

With HAL now producing low-cost, high-performance combat aircraft, several nations, particularly from the Global South, are showing interest in acquiring Indian-made fighter jets.

“India is not just securing its own Defence needs but is also emerging as a global leader in aerospace technology. Many countries in the Global South will soon procure HAL-made combat aircraft, further strengthening India’s position as a Defence exporter,” he added.

Pilot Group Captain Prabhas Awasthi (Retd), Senior flying instructor, Group Captain N.S. Murthy (Retd), Deputy Chief Flight Test Engineer, in charge for HTT 40 development and testing, Borlingappa AGM HTT 40 and team of engineers and technicians of Aircraft Research and Development Centre HAL were present.

--IANS

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