The Indian Air Force (IAF) will equip its Hindustan Piston Trainer-32 (HPT-32) aircraft with a parachute recovery system (PRS) for training its pilots.
The PRS will improve the confidence of HPT-32 pilots, increase survivability during an emergency in the air and prevent the aircraft from crashing during training, according to The Hindu.
During an airborne emergency, the pilot can pull a lever to open the parachute and bring down the aircraft safely.
The IAF, which has selected two foreign vendors for the project, will begin equipping the airframes of 100 HPT-32s with parachutes once the final vendor is selected.
The first PRS-fitted HPT-32 aircraft will take its first flight after at least three to four months.
Before the PRS installation, the aircraft airframe will be strengthened to prevent it from shearing off when the parachute is deployed and to also take the extra weight.
The PRS aids in reviving the HPT-32, which has been in service since 1984 but grounded since July 2009, following an accident that killed two senior flight instructors.
