HAL Kiran Mk.I/IA/II

Origin: India.

Current versions in IAF service: Mk.1; Basic Jet Trainer - no weapons capability.
..........................................Mk.1A; Basic Jet Trainer - fitted with a gun sight.
..........................................Mk.II; Intermediate Jet Trainer - full weapons capability.

Accommodation: Two side-by-side.

Weights: Basic Empty - 2965 kg (6540 lbs)
.............Max. Takeoff - 4950 kg (10,913 lbs)
*For the Mk.II variant only

Engine: One Viper turbojet in the Mk.I/IA variants.
..........One 18.4kN (4130 lbs.) HAL license-built RR Orpheus 701-01 turbojet in Mk.II variant.

Performance: Max. speed at sea level 704 km/h (380 knots)
..................Economical cruising speed 417 km/h (225 knots)
..................Max. cruising speed at 15,000 feet - 620 km/h (335 knots)
*For the Mk.II variant only

Max. Initial Rate of Climb: 5250 ft/min.
*For the Mk.II variant only

Service Ceiling: 39,375 feet.
*For the Mk.II variant only

Range: With standard fuel - 615 km (332n miles)
*For the Mk.II variant only

Avionics: None on any variant.

Armament: The Mk.II variant has two 7.62mm Aden guns in nose. Four under wing pylons can carry rocket pods, 250 kg practice bombs or fuel tanks.

Self Defence: None.

Comments: Even though last deliveries continued till 1989, the HAL Kiran (Ray of Light) was first conceived & developed in the early 1960s to replace the IAF's sizeable fleet of license-built De Havilland Vampire two-seat AJTs. The Kiran design began in 1961 at HAL's Bangalore facility under the leadership of Dr. V. M. Chatage. His team came up with the design similar in some respects to the contemporary jet-Provost, as the Kiran featured straight wings, side-by-side seating and a Viper turbojet.

The first prototype flew on 04 September 1964, the second followed in August 1965. HAL built a batch of 24 pre-production Kiran Mk.1 with the first of these delivered to the IAF in 1968. About 118 Mk.1s were built, some as Mk.1A with two under wing hardpoints for weapons training. The Mk.1 entered service with the IAF Academy in 1973, while the Indian Navy (IN) also got a small number of Mk.1s.

The HAL Kiran Mk.2 first flew on 30 July 1976. Compared to the Mk.1, it features a more powerful Orpheus turbojet in place of the Viper turbojet, four under wing hardpoints for light ground attack/COIN ops, two 7.62mm Aden guns in the forward fuselage and a improved hydraulic system.

The Mk.2 also features performance & payload improvements over the Mk.1, but the IAF deemed it un-suitable for night-flying operations, and also it had poor payload range. These shortfalls delayed the Mk.2 production by many years and it was not until 1983 that official development work was completed. Deliveries of the first of 61 production Mk.2s began in March of 1985 with the line closing in 1989. Other than the IAF, six Mk.2s are also in service with the Indian Navy (IN).