Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has announced the successful demonstration of 6-turn spin capability on its indigenously developed Hindustan Jet Trainer 36 (HJT-36) ‘Sitara’ Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT).
HAL will now move ahead with the development programme and undertake several more spin trials before full spin certification is achieved.
According to HAL, it is necessary for a trainer aircraft to demonstrate its capability to enter and recover from spins to familiarise trainee pilots to recognise an aircraft’s departure from controlled flight and the actions required to recover from such situations.
The ability of the Sitara aircraft to demonstrate its capability to undertake 6-turn spins on both sides can be considered a major milestone for the programme, which has stalled since 2016. The aircraft was piloted by HAL test pilots Gp. Capt HV Thakur (Retd) and Gp. Capt A Menon (Retd).
The Sitara programme is long-delayed, originally sanctioned for design and development as an indigenous IJT by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) in July 1999. However, over the course of development and spin testing in 2016, the aircraft departed from controlled flight bringing the programme to a temporary halt.
Subsequent to the temporary halting of flight tests in 2016, HAL undertook major modifications and restarted stall and spin testing of the IJT in its new modified configuration in November 2020.