HAL Accelerates Indigenous HTFE-25 Engine Development with New Facility, Validation Expected by 2028

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), India's leading aerospace manufacturer, is making significant strides in its quest for self-reliance in aero-engine technology.

The company's Hindustan Turbo Fan Engine (HTFE-25), a 25 kN thrust engine designed to power a range of aircraft, is progressing through development with the recent inauguration of a new design and test facility.


The state-of-the-art facility, located at HAL's Aero Engine Research & Development Centre (AERDC), is expected to accelerate the HTFE-25 program, which aims to create a domestically produced engine suitable for trainer jets, UAVs, light combat aircraft, and even regional jets.

While HAL originally targeted 2025 for the completion of the engine's validation phase, a 2-3 year extension is now anticipated, with a revised completion date expected between 2027 and 2028. Despite the delay, the project has seen considerable progress.

A full-engine Technology Demonstrator (TD) has been successfully built and tested, reaching 55% of its designed capacity. Furthermore, two core engines are currently undergoing rigorous development trials.

The transition from a demonstrator to a fully certified, flight-worthy engine is a complex endeavor, requiring significant effort and time. HAL estimates this process could take an additional five years or more. To aid in this transition, HAL will utilize a modified Hawk 132 Advanced Jet Trainer (AJT), designated "Hawk-I," as a flying testbed. This real-world testing environment will provide valuable data to refine the engine's performance and ensure seamless integration with aircraft platforms.


The HTFE-25 project represents a crucial step towards India's goal of self-reliance in critical aerospace technologies. The engine's successful development and implementation would not only bolster the nation's defense capabilities but also open up new avenues for the domestic aerospace industry.

According to HAL's official website, the AERDC is the sole design house in India with the capability to develop test beds for both Western and Russian origin engines. The center is also involved in the development of the HTSE-1200, a turbo shaft engine for helicopters.

 

[NSR]

That is great and ambitious target and is much welcome.

But India seriously needs to acquire a high altitude flight test aircraft for all of its developmental engines.
It may try it with its own IL-78 transport plane or a used and still good Boeing-747.
I believe India still has some old Boeing-747s and one or two can be used make a high altitude test plane for all fighter engines.

Without high altitude fighter engine tests, there is a real possibility that test article may crash and possibility of test pilot death is real.

This is a must for India to accelerate the development of its own engine for Tejas IA and then for Tejas Mk2 later.

Time is of essence.

 

[bonito]

This is completely unacceptable. This program can be shutdown. Those 2 core engines were ready 8 yrs back. They said they need a platform to test them and HJT-36 was considered one. This month they said HJT-36 will be ready this year end. Now they are saying it will take another 5 yrs. That's is like 14 yrs only for integration.and testing. HAL sincerely needs to bifurcated into design and development depts.

HAL got a severe rap from CAG for this project.

 

[Sudha]

Delays are HAL's halmark. With no delays HAL's reputation will go down the drain. 🤣😂 Five years back itself they claimed HTFE 25 was ready but didnt have an airframe which the aero engine will go into. 👹

 

[Anant]

That is great and ambitious target and is much welcome.

But India seriously needs to acquire a high altitude flight test aircraft for all of its developmental engines.
It may try it with its own IL-78 transport plane or a used and still good Boeing-747.
I believe India still has some old Boeing-747s and one or two can be used make a high altitude test plane for all fighter engines.

Without high altitude fighter engine tests, there is a real possibility that test article may crash and possibility of test pilot death is real.

This is a must for India to accelerate the development of its own engine for Tejas IA and then for Tejas Mk2 later.

Time is of essence.

While we do need a proper testing aircraft, we do not, in fact, have any 747s left. The last for 747-400s in India that were previously owned by Air India have been sold off.

That said, we could always buy an old 747 from the market.

 

[Squarecut Atul]

Most, if not all these articles are about projects that are still at the drawing board stage and have not even started. Who are these articles trying to mislead?

 

[GMR]

This is really a cuckoo organisation. First gives unrealistic timeline for everything and side by side starts working on listing down the reasons of delay...
It must be included as a case study in IIM curriculum.

 

[MANIVANNAN N]

For this engine 5 more yrs needed is joke. All hal programs goes woihout any timeframe. There is no control mechanism.

 

[NSR]

While we do need a proper testing aircraft, we do not, in fact, have any 747s left. The last for 747-400s in India that were previously owned by Air India have been sold off.

That said, we could always buy an old 747 from the market.

USA and France had so many offsets to fulfill but never even tried to help with high altitude test plane.
UK do not have that many offsets to fulfill so we can't expect them to do it.

Don't know if we approached Russia at all.
If they are willing to sell a duplicate copy of their high-altitude test plane with modern engines and avionics, then may be worth buying one.

Seems to me that the extra warm embrace of Xi to Putin looks like that dangers of all kinds are just around the corner.

 

[Pramkumar]

As a corporate HAL has required money and only its need will and own board approval

They have to move past if I would have been HAL chairman I must have done with time line

 

[Boomeranger]

Good move Sirs... Complete this one soon for armed jet powered UCAV developments next...

 

[Amit]

Hope we do not read similar stories after a decade that another 2 to 3 years...

 

[prabar]

For validation phase - extension of 2-3 yrs
Transforming HTFE 25 from a demonstrator to a flight worthy engine - HAL estimates this process could take an additional 5 yrs or More!
HAL is making a fool of everyone

 

[Cp Saraswat]

I think HAL should stop delayed program and garb TOT by GE as proposed and and keeping modification & upgrading continuously.....stop all the delayed engine program cause when the world will be inducting 7th gen Fighter jet then, our R&D on 5th gen engine will be keeping delayed ......continuously postponed.....
Or
Nhi to, puri aukaat lga k ,din raat ek krk, ji jaan lga k ,bina amount of paisa dekhe , best engineers aur scientist k teams k saath yddh star se mehnat krna padega tb timely achievable h nhi to aise chapter ranhenge articles aur hm pdh pdh k tensions lenge sirf....

Vande Matram

 

[bonito]

Delays are HAL's halmark. With no delays HAL's reputation will go down the drain. 🤣😂 Five years back itself they claimed HTFE 25 was ready but didnt have an airframe which the aero engine will go into. 👹

Those 2 cores were ready by 2016 (delayed by actual promise of 3 yrs). 8 yrs gone after production

 

[Pad UwU]

USA and France had so many offsets to fulfill but never even tried to help with high altitude test plane.
UK do not have that many offsets to fulfill so we can't expect them to do it.

Don't know if we approached Russia at all.
If they are willing to sell a duplicate copy of their high-altitude test plane with modern engines and avionics, then may be worth buying one.

Seems to me that the extra warm embrace of Xi to Putin looks like that dangers of all kinds are just around the corner.

Kakakakak
Don't China and Russia is not in full alliance they are just partners like what we are for Russia we do consider them as ally just a partner.... That's why the current Russia survive when Soviet union falls apart....

The current Russia just want to live and survive against it's enemies who wants to further subdivide it... So to counter it the slowly reclaim and influence it's former territories or cousins from it's Soviet times😹😹😹

US and Europe salty about it...
Germany, France and UK lost it's imperial glory day when they bankrupted themselves to fight one another.... UK and France got betrayed by US for loans and in Suez canal plus the intervention of US 🙃😜😸