Funding proposed by UK for 20 Hawks

test pilots Wg Cdr (Retd) Unni K Pillai, Chief Test Pilot and Gp Capt (Retd) Rajesh Verma at the controls. The AFCS is a digital four axis flight control system for the control & stability augmentation function and auto-pilot modes of helicopters. The indigenous development of the Hardware, Software and Control Law is a fully in-house effort of HAL R&D Centres, being the RWR&DC and MCSRDC at Bengaluru, SLRDC at Hyderabad and Korwa Division.

Hot refueling trial-cum- sortie of Tejas LCA

For the pending procurement of additional 20 Hawk jet trainers for the IAF, which has been stalled for years reportedly owing to financial reasons, BAE Systems and the UK government have offered India a line of funding to land a contract for the aircraft, worth an estimated Rs 2500 crores. As a policy, the Indian government has not accepted ‘defence aid’, but instead funded all equipment from its own budget. However, the UK has recently revived its Direct Lending Facility, wherein UK Export Finance provides loans up to £3 billion to overseas buyers, enabling them to procure capital goods from UK exporters and, thereby, “support employment in the UK.” According to well-informed sources, the government of India has “not accepted” the offer.

Apache AH-64E for Indian Army