Ashish Ranjan
On the final day of Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru, a picture of Lord Hanuman has been reinstated on the tail of a Hindustan Lead in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42. Three days after it was removed, the news agency ANI published photographs of the HLFT-42 full-scale model of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) featuring the Hindu god once again.
Lord Hanuman was depicted with his mace and the words “the storm is approaching.” Under the condition of anonymity, a HAL official was quoted by the news agency PTI as saying, “Orders were executed as received.”
During the five-day air show, which began on Monday, the static display aircraft model was on display in HAL’s Hall-3. After images of the ‘Hanuman on HAL’ went popular on social media and generated criticism, the defence PSU deleted it on Tuesday without providing a reason. An official informed PTI that the tagline was drawn from India’s first indigenous aircraft, the HF-24 Marut (meaning wind).
CB Ananthakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, had previously stated to ANI that the entire incident was “unintentional.”
#AeroIndia2023 | Picture of Lord Hanuman once again displayed on the tail of HLFT-42 full-scale model of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), showcased at the airshow in Bengaluru, Karnataka. pic.twitter.com/PKQDEm54iC
— ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2023
According to a statement released by HAL last week, the HLFT-42 is the “Next Gen Supersonic Trainer,” and it will play a “critical role” in the training of modern combat aircraft. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, such as an Active Electronically Scanned Array, Electronic Warfare Suite, Infrared Search and Track with a Fly by Wire control system.
Also Read | Aero India 2023 | 5 points to know
At the Air Force Station in Yelahanka, which is located in Bengaluru, Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the doors to the 14th iteration of Asia’s largest aero show, which is known as Aero India 2023. The show is showcasing a number of innovative technologies, some of which include Air Defence Systems, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Aerial and Ground Precise Guided Munitions, Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, Land and Naval solutions, Avionic Systems, Air and Missile Defence Systems, and more.
