New "Hunter"
 

ustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will produce a radically modernised version of the 1950s-vintage Hawker Hunter jet fighter.

The original Hunter, a British design, first flew in 1951 and was widely exported. It proved popular with the Indian Air Force, which ordered the type in 1954. The Hunter’s proven airframe will provide a low-risk basis for the new design, the name of which will be ‘Langoor’ in air force service. The Langoor is intended to solve India’s fighter shortage with the minimum of cost and risk, while embracing the national ‘Make in India‘ initiative to develop indigenous weapon systems and technologies. The Swedish aero-company Saab, with its proven track record, will be the partner nation for the Langoor’s testing phase. Lessons learned from the painfully slow Tejas programme, and the mired MMRCA fighter acquirement will inform the project which is intended to emphasise modest and realisable goals. According to Parrikar, the type will enter service in 2022 and will offer reliability alongside operating costs 25% that of the Sukhoi Su-30, with a unit cost at least 70% lower than that of Tejas. The design will prioritise long range and ‘rugged’ reliability over high performance, and will feature proven systems to ensure a high level of combat effectiveness. Parrikar noted that “Mach 1.5+ performance is not necessary for the vast majority of combat missions, yet this requirement has until now dominated our search for future fighters. The use of heavily networked slower assets within a force that includes faster aircraft, like the Su-30, will prove more effective, far cheaper and will give the Indian Air Force what it most needs: larger, safer and more reliable forces. Langoor will be a game-changer.”

The Langoor will differ from the Hunter in many respects-

The original engine Rolls-Royce Avon will be replaced by the Eurojet EJ200
Sensors will include the Swedish PS-05/A radar
New lightweight helmet cueing system
Internal armament of one GSh-23-mm cannon
New wing to be designed with BAE Systems
Glass cockpit
Weapons to include R-73 short range air-to-air missiles
India is expected to order between 250-400 aircraft. Most of the design work has been completed and a prototype is expected to fly in 2019, with service entry scheduled for 2022.

Sen

Indian combat aircraft acquisition can best be described as "shambolic".

It was only yesterday that they announced a plan for local production of the F-16, and now we have the "Super Hunter"? Not to mention the MiG-29, Su30MKI, and of course the Rafale :hmm:

translation....india really misses her MIG21s.

I gather the announcement was made on 1 April. Any significance?

Having googled the 'HAL Langoor', it seems all the websites are repeats of exactly the same text. Does India do 1 April?

I'm sure there was a thread a while ago where someone asked if a new build Hunter would be practical?

Is Indian procurement really so shambolic?? Sure there are aspects which could be so described; I met some BAe workers who spent nearly a week in their hotel waiting for a permit to allow them on base. But their pragmatic approach and willingness to deal with eastern and western suppliers gets them a lot of jets in the sky for a fraction of what we spend

Isn't Langoor hindi for Baboon?

I thought langoors were those skinny monkeys. Danny42C will undoubtedly advise!

Only the Grey ones!:confused:

FB:)

If you put a new wing, new engine and new avionics onto a Hunter fuselage, aren't you really building a new aeroplane?

Triggers broom springs to mind

Yep, a brand new Hunter!

Apart from that original link, and the others that just repeated the text, has anyone encountered any other validation?

But will it have the blue note?

Does the company selected to design the wing still have a capability to do so? I was under the impression that property development of 'brownfield sites' was their forte these days.

As HAL are building and IAF are operating the Hawk trainer, an updated Hawk 200 might make more sense than a reinvented Hunter. No blue note though.

Problem with the Hawk is that Rolls Royce are on the naughty step for using middlemen/agents.

Otherwise the new improved Hawk recently touted may well meet their requirements

This page confirms Genstabler's suspicion :ok:

Yea, same text, same joke :)