HAL HF-24 Marut

The HAL HF-24 Marut ("Spirit of the Tempest") was an Indian fighter-bomber aircraft of the 1960s. It was developed by Hindustan Aircraft Limited (HAL), German aircraft designer Kurt Tank was responsible for being the lead designer of the aircraft. The Marut holds the distinction of being the first Indian developed jet aircraft, and also being the first Asian jet fighter to go beyond prototype/test phase, and into successful production and active service (outside Russia/Soviet Union). On June 17th 1961, the type conducted its maiden flight; on April 1st 1967, the first production Marut was officially delivered to the IAF.

While the Marut had been envisioned as a supersonic-capable combat aircraft, it would never manage to breach the sound barrier, being limited to subsonic speeds only. This limitation was principally due to the engines used, which in turn had been limited by various political and economic factors, multiple attempts to develop improved engines or to source alternative powerplants were fruitless. Criticism of the Marut's cost and lack of capability in comparison to contemporary aircraft were often made.

A total of 147 Maruts were manufactured, the majority of which were introduced to service with the Indian Air Force (IAF). While it had been initially envisioned as a capable interceptor aircraft, it was primarily used for ground attack missions instead. In the ground attack role, the Marut saw active combat operations during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, notably participating in the Battle of Longewala. By 1982, the Marut was increasingly considered to be obsolete, and was gradually phased out during the late 1980s.

Variants

 * HAL X-241: A full scale research glider replicating the proposed production aircraft, with identical dimensions, control configuration and aerofoil sections.
 * HAL Marut Mk.1: Single-seat ground-attack fighter.
 * HAL Marut Mk.1A: The third pre-production aircraft fitted with an afterburning Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 703 with 18% boost at 5,720 lbf (25.44 kN) thrust.
 * HAL Marut Mk.1BX: A single Mk.1 converted as a flying test-bed for the Brandner E-300 turbojet engine.
 * HAL Marut Mk.1T: Two-seat training version.
 * HAL Marut Mk.1R: Two HF-24s fitted with two afterburning Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 703s with 18% boost at 5,720 lbf (25.44 kN) thrust.
 * HAL Marut Mk.2: A projected Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour powered derivative.

Users

 * India
 * Indian Air Force x 147 - retired