India’s 1st Pilatus PC-7 Mk.2 Trainer Emerges

Here’s a photo of what is said to be the first Pilatus PC-7 Mk.2 basic trainer aircraft for the Indian Air Force. The photo from this blog, identifies itself as the first PC-7 aircraft under flight test for the IAF (note the IAF roundel under the wing — thank you, Carpe Noctum, for pointing me to this photo!).

The IAF signed a contract with Switzerland’s Pilatus for 75 PC-7 Mk.2 aircraft worth on May 24 this year, with deliveries to begin early 2013.

9 thoughts on “India’s 1st Pilatus PC-7 Mk.2 Trainer Emerges”

  1. Ha…Big dreams of been a world power. This is a reality check of how useless we (Indians) are end of day. Even trash countries like Pakistan makes their own trainers.

    Getting ready to be slaves for another 300 years under the Chinese now!!!

  2. @nikdash why dont u just kill urself right now and end ur misery??? The rest of us "chinese slaves" will try and manage somehow.:)

  3. Nikdash @11:14pm

    Is an ignoramus! PAF MushShak is a licensed built SAAB Safari.

    Get your facts right.

    My2Cents from Oz.

  4. nikdash …..India can make them but its still not the best in the market….we want to buy the best bang for buck…..arent u still buyin a iphone/samsung or nokia?…..till we cant make the best of something(which we are optimistic about doing) We afford the best……Pakistan is a poor country economically so its fine for them to settle for watever they can manage with the money they have(they are being sensible aswell).

  5. We(HAL)designed and built our first all-metal basic trainer, the HT-2 way back in 1957. Though it somewhat resembled the British Chipmunk(except the tail), it served us well for almost three decades. Then the HJT-16 (Kiran) (resembling the the Hunting Jet Provost) was built in 1964 and serves us well (Mk.1&2) till today. HPT-32(Deepak) however served us only for 15 years and had to be grounded prematurely. Since NAL/HAL wasn't commissioned to design a replacement Turbo-prop trainer, we had no option but to go for the Swiss Pilatus PC-7 TP trainer.

  6. Negative trade balance; depreciating rupee…..How many days before we can 'afford' doing this to ourselves. Heck just because we have 300 billion, we are out spending. This is hard earned money folks.

    We need to learn many things from the Chinese here. They have worked real hard to get to where they are today. AND they did not go throwing away what they have.

    On top of that, buying a Swiss plane, these guys hoard all the black money under the guise of been neutral and keep the world poor. They do not fire bullets but still are killing people using 'HUNGER'

  7. To the anonymous folks : Most of us could not have afforded the Nokia or Samsung phone until the Chinese versions drove the price down.

    Heck the mobile revolution in India is thanks to china for providing the pricing pressure on both handsets and wireless equipment.

    Nokia would have continued selling us their ancient junk since we cannot 'afford' to pay for their huge margins.

  8. with HAL, NAL and DODOs around, why to make trainers? That will be insignificant achievement.

    Only UCAVs will fetch them lots of money and awards like Ratnas, shrees and padmas…. and on and on..

    Not trainers !! That is junk for their standards.

  9. Trainer or no trainer , those guys can build what they say they can whereas we cannot . So let us now adopt the pilatus and burn midnight oil to absorb the tech. and make it into a 100 % Indian plane in five years . Legally or not.

    Do the same with Hawk.

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