HAL Ajeet

The HAL Ajeet (Sanskrit: अजित, for Invincible or Unconquerable) was a jet-powered fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It was operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) between 1977 and 1991.

The Ajeet is a derivative of the British Folland Gnat light fighter aircraft. The Gnat, which had been procured in large numbers for the IAF and produced under license by HAL, had acquitted itself favourably during its Indian service, including in active combat roles during multiple conflicts with the neighboring nation of Pakistan, including the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. As such, the IAF had a positive attitude towards the type, despite observing shortcomings in maintainability and some subsystems, thus, during 1972, the service issued a requirement calling for the development of an upgraded and more capable variant of the Gnat, leading to the development of the Ajeet by HAL.

In the design phase of the Ajeet, HAL redesigned several aspects of the aircraft while seeking to improve both the reliability and effectiveness of several subsystems, such as the avionics and hydraulic systems. The adoption of a wet wing expanded the fighter's internal fuel capacity and freed-up several underwing hardpoints for other purposes, effectively increasing both the range and payload capability of the aircraft. On March 6th 1975, the first of two Ajeet prototypes, producing via the conversion of the final two licence-produced Gnat fighters, conducted its maiden flight. The satisfactory performance of these prototypes contributed to the issuing of a production order for the Ajeet. On September 30th 1976, the first production aircraft performed its maiden flight. Introduced to service during the following year, the Ajeet had a relatively brief and unremarkable service life, equipping only a single IAF squadron and being withdrawn from service during 1991.

Variants

 * Gnat Mk.2: The original Indian Air Force designation for the Ajeet Mk 1.
 * Ajeet Mk.1: Single-seat lightweight ground-attack and interceptor fighter aircraft.
 * Ajeet Mk.2 Trainer: Two-seat advanced jet training prototype.

Users

 * India
 * Indian Air Force x 89

Related Development

 * Folland Gnat

Comparable Aircraft

 * Northrop T-38 Talon
 * Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter
 * Canadair CF-5 Freedom Fighter
 * Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star
 * Canadair CT-133 Silver Star