The HAL HJT-36 Sitara is a subsonic intermediate jet trainer aircraft developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy. The HJT-36 will replace the HAL HJT-16 Kiran as the Stage-2 trainer for the two forces. The Sitara is a conventional jet trainer with low swept wings, tandem cockpit and small air intakes on either side of its fuselage. It entered limited series production by 2010, with initial operational capability expected by mid-2011. HJT-36 uses light alloys and composites, with a conventional low wing design with 18° leading edge sweepback and a 9.8m wingspan. It features a hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear. The single-wheeled main units retract inward and the twin nose wheel unit retracts forward. About a quarter of the aircraft's line replaceable units are common between it and the HAL Tejas trainer variant. In the cockpit, the HJT-36 has a conventional tandem two-seat configuration with the trainee pilot forward and the instructor in the raised seat to the rear. The single-piece canopy gives both pilots good, all-round vision. The prototype aircraft used Zvesda K-26LT lightweight zero-zero ejection seats. However, these may be replaced with Martin-Baker Mk.16 IN16S seats, due to a price escalation of the former.

The trainer has a full glass cockpit with a layout similar to current generation combat aircraft. It uses an integrated digital avionics system from GE Aviation Systems. Active matrix liquid crystal multi-function displays from Thales and GE Aviation were evaluated. Head-up display and repeater is sourced from Elbit Systems. The instructor's station in the rear cockpit has a data entry display panel. The aircraft also has dual VHF and UHF communications systems. The aircraft has five external hardpoints for weapons-training. There is one centre-line hardpoint under the fuselage and two weapon pylons under each wing for carrying rockets, gun pods and bombs. The maximum external payload is 1,000 kg.

The prototype aircraft were initially powered by a SNECMA Turbomeca Larzac 04-H-20 non-afterburning turbofan developing 14.12 kN of thrust. All production models will use the more powerful NPO Saturn AL-55I engine with about 16.9 kN of thrust, as stipulated by the 2005 air staff requirements from the Air Force.

Source: Wikipedia

The Defense expo in Delhi held subsequently, is worlds seventh largest and Asia's largest Defence Expo in the series of biennial Land, Naval and Internal Security Systems Exhibition. The first exhibition was held in 1999 and subsequently in 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010.The Department of Defence Production in the defence ministry is the organizing committee of the expo in collaboration with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci). Some 567 global defence firms from 32 countries display weapon systems for the army, navy and also for internal security. It is a platform for suppliers, manufacturers, technology and services providers to get an opportunity for promoting and showcasing their products and services to the international defense industry. India is the largest importer of arms and ammunition in the world and exhibitors are practically falling over themselves to sell equipment. But perhaps the time has come to reverse that trend - to build equipment in India and export to the rest of the world.

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