IAF orders £59 million worth of spares for Hawk AJT

New Delhi: India has placed an order worth 59 million pounds with British BAE Systems for providing spares and ground support equipment for operating the Hawk advanced jet trainer aircraft.

"Reinforcing our strong relationship with Indian Air Force (IAF) and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), the company has recently secured a 59 million pound contract for the provision of spares and ground support equipment to aid the Hawk training aircraft operations," BAE Systems said in a statement.

This brings the total value of Hawk related contracts in India to more than 600 million pounds in the last 18 months, it added.

India had signed the first contract for 66 Hawk AJTs in 2004 and last year placed an order for additional 57 aircraft. The Hawk is manufactured in India under licence by HAL with materials, parts and support services provided by BAE Systems.

"The IAF has one of the largest fleets of Hawks anywhere in the world, and this contract is vital to ensure the continued availability of the fleet. This new order strengthens the robust production platform established by our partner HAL for the aircraft," said Guy Griffiths, BAE Systems group managing director, international.

India is also planning to place an order for additional 20 aircraft for its Surya Kiran Aerobatics team (SKAT).