NEW DELHI, MAY 12:With 12 tonnes of vital supplies and spares for the Hawk trainers arriving from UK on Monday, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said the newly-acquired fleet is operational and its fighter training program on the new trainers would begin as scheduled.

Indicating that the tussle over spare parts with the original manufacturers, which has led to a low 40 per cent operational rate of the trainers, has been resolved, the IAF said large quantities of spares have arrived at Bidar on Monday along with two new trainers.

“Two aircraft arrived from UK on Monday, along with large quantities of spares, as per the induction plan. Two more aircraft would arrive in the first week of June,” IAF spokesperson Wing Commander Mahesh Upasani said. He added that the first training course on the new trainers would begin as per schedule in July.

While 12 Hawk trainers have now arrived from the UK, flying training will start off after a total of 20 aircraft are available at the Bidar training academy. The first of the HAL assembled Hawk trainers is also set to be inducted early next month.

Earlier, the newly acquired fleet has been embroiled in controversy after the crash of fighter trainer on April 29 moments after it took off on a routine mission.

The entire fleet was then restricted from flying for almost a week, pending checks by the IAF to “rule out critical system failure”, especially as the aircraft were under warranty by the original manufactures.

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