India Pilatus PC-7 trainer aircraft deal could expand to 200 aircraft

Swiss manufacturer Pilatus Aircraft may be all set to sign a record deal to supply 75 of its successful PC-7 Mk-II trainer aircraft to the Indian Air Force. The deal, reportedly, is worth 850 million francs ($1 billion), a press report said Saturday.

The daily Le Temps, which described the contract as the biggest in the company's history, said it could eventually grow in size to supply 200 of the single-engine turboprop aircraft.

So far Pilatus has declined to comment on the report.

India invited offers by manufacturers for a new basic trainer two years ago. The intermediate stage jet trainer needs are currently being met by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd's Kiran Mk-II or BAE Systems Hawk advanced jet trainers (AJTs).

The procurement of the new aircraft assumed urgency with the grounding of the piston-powered HAL HPT-32 Deepak fleet in July 2009, following 17 crashes.

Seven companies responded to India's urgent request for information, of which five were invited for trials and were issued with a request for proposals. These five included EADS PZL-130 Orlik TC-II, Grob G-120TP, Hawker Beechcraft T-6C and Korean Aerospace Industries KT-1B.