The maiden flight of 2nd Prototype (PT-2) of Basic Trainer Aircraft (HTT-40) has been successfully completed on 19th May 2017 without any glitch. The aircraft flew for one hour carrying out important manoeuvres, touching altitude of 20000 ft and maximum speed of 185 kmph.
Presently, the project is in advanced stage of development. Two prototypes have been developed and produced till date and both prototypes are under flight trials. Additionally, one more prototype will be manufactured to further speed up the development process. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to get the aircraft certified by December 2018 which will be followed by series production.
In February 2015, the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) approved procurement of 70 Basic Trainer Aircraft from HAL. Considering this, HAL has planned to set up facility for manufacturing of 15-20 aircraft per annum. HTT-40 is funded by HAL with its own resources.
This information was given by Minister of State for Defence Dr. Subhash Bhamre in a written reply to Shri K Rahman Khan in Rajya Sabha today.