The HAL HPT-32 Deepak ("lamp" in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

) is an Indian prop-driven primary trainer manufactured by

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore, India. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the worl ...

. It has two seats in

side-by-side configuration Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which a team of machines, animals or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. The original use of the term in English was in ''tandem harness'', which is used for two ...

Operational history

The Deepak is used for primary training, observation, liaison and target towing. When it flies upside-down fuel flows from a collector tank in the fuselage and the inverted flight is limited to 1 min. Deepak has a theoretical

glide ratio In aerodynamics, the lift-to-drag ratio (or L/D ratio) is the lift generated by an aerodynamic body such as an aerofoil or aircraft, divided by the aerodynamic drag caused by moving through air. It describes the aerodynamic efficiency under giv ...

of 8.5:1. The IAF and HAL are looking into new safety systems such as

Ballistic Recovery Systems Ballistic Recovery Systems, Inc., doing business as BRS Aerospace (and commonly referred to as simply BRS), is a manufacturer of aircraft ballistic parachutes. The company was formed in 1980 by Boris Popov of Saint Paul, Minnesota, after he su ...

to enable it to descend safely in the event of an engine failure. On 16 May 2010 the IAF cleared the installation of a parachute recovery system. The HPT-32 aircraft has been replaced by the Pilatus PC-7 Mk II in the IAF, as its workhorse as a Basic Trainer Aircraft (BTA) in 2013.

Accidents

In 17 Deepak crashes so far, 19 pilots have died. The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India has been reported as saying the aircraft is "technologically outdated and beset by flight safety hazards" when discussing the grounding of the fleet in 2009. HAL HTT-40 is going replace HAL HPT-32 Deepak as primary trainer.

Versions

;HPT-32 :Basic version. ;HTT-34 :Turboprop version, powered by Allison 250-B17D engine. First flew on 17 June 1984.

Operators

; * Indian Air Force *

Indian Navy The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...

8 for basic training

Specifications (HPT-32)

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * *Taylor, M.J.H. (ed,). ''Brassey's World Aircraft Systems Directory 1999/2000 Edition''. London: Brassey's, 1999. . {{HAL aircraft

Deepak Deepak (दीपक) is a Hindi word meaning lamp, from the Sanskrit source word for light. The name Deepak symbolizes a bright future. In the twentieth century, it became very popular as a first name for male Hindus. Names like ''Deepa'' (male ...

1970s Indian military trainer aircraft Single-engined tractor aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1977