New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has formally launched the process to acquire around 150 next-generation Stage-III jet trainers, issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to Indian and global aerospace manufacturers in what marks the first concrete step toward replacing its ageing Hawk Mk-132 fleet.
The new aircraft are designed to serve as the critical bridge between basic flight instruction and frontline combat duty. Before graduating to advanced fighters such as the Sukhoi-30MKI, Rafale and Tejas – and eventually the indigenous Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) – trainee pilots will use these Stage-III jets to build familiarity with airborne radar systems, electronic warfare equipment and beyond-visual-range missile engagements, preparing them for the realities of modern air combat.
The RFI is the opening stage of a multi-step tender process. It will be followed by a Request for Proposal (RFP), where shortlisted manufacturers submit detailed technical and commercial bids against finalised requirements. Responses to the current RFI are due by October 5, 2026, and the RFP is tentatively expected around December 2027. Deliveries are slated to wrap up within 60 months of the contract’s start date, meaning the IAF’s training squadrons are unlikely to see the first of the new jets before the mid-2030s, even if the timeline holds.
Industry estimates peg the potential value of the deal at roughly ₹15,000 crore. Both domestic and international manufacturers are expected to compete, with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) seen as the leading Indian contender. On the global side, likely bidders include the Boeing-Saab T-7 Red Hawk, South Korea’s KAI T-50 Golden Eagle, Italy’s Leonardo M-346 Master and Russia’s Yakovlev Yak-130. Foreign contenders will be required to spell out how much manufacturing, technology transfer and supply-chain work they can shift to India – a now-standard condition in major Indian defence procurements. Aircraft that pass technical evaluation will undergo field trials on Indian soil before a contract is awarded to the lowest technically compliant bidder.
The push to replace the Hawk comes as the type approaches two decades in service; it entered IAF operations in February 2008 and has remained the backbone of advanced pilot training since. Its production line has since closed, and the United Kingdom – the aircraft’s country of origin – is separately running its own RFI for a successor, reportedly leaning toward Boeing’s T-7 system built in partnership with BAE Systems.
The specifications set out in India’s RFI reflect how far training requirements have evolved. The IAF wants fly-by-wire flight controls, a modern glass cockpit with configurable hands-on-throttle-and-stick controls, and navigation systems that blend India’s homegrown NavIC satellite constellation with GPS and GLONASS.
Zero-zero ejection seats – capable of safely ejecting a pilot even at zero altitude and zero airspeed – are also mandated, along with stringent flight-safety features: the aircraft must resist departure from controlled flight and be able to automatically recover if a pilot lets go of the controls.
India’s existing training pipeline includes the intermediate-stage HJT-36, recently rebranded Yashas at Aero India 2025 after nearly two decades of development aimed at fixing its handling issues. HAL has also floated a supersonic HLFT-42 as a potential in-house Hawk successor, though that design has yet to clear its critical design review.
With fighter cockpits growing increasingly networked and sensor-driven, the IAF’s push for a more sophisticated trainer underscores a broader shift: producing pilots who are combat-ready from the moment they step into a frontline squadron, rather than adapting to modern systems on the job.
