HAL HF-24 MARUT – The first jet aircraft developed by India

Though HAL Tejas is termed as India’s first indigenous aircraft, the first Indian developed aircraft was “HAL HF-24 MARUT”, a fighter bomber aircraft which was developed by Hindustan Aircraft Limited (HAL) in 1960’s. HAL HF-24 Marut made its maiden flight on 17 June 1961. HF-24 Marut fighter jets were inducted into Indian Air force in 1967 which served for 23 years finally de-commissioned in 1990.

Video Credits: Ava Saa

A total of '147' HF-24 Marut‘s were manufactured, it was known as “Spirit of the Tempest”.Though Marut was envisioned to be a supersonic fighter jet, the operational capability was merely above Mach 1. Designed by Kurt Waldemar Tank a German aeronautical engineer, the work officially started in 1956. HF-24 Marut participated in two battles the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and... the Battle of Longewala. This fighter jet wasn’t a great success, a number of reasons made the fighter a very long-drawn-out failure.

Drawbacks

• Lack of suitable engine due to political issues and budget limitations
• Lack of proper resources (both scientific and infrastructure)
• High dependence on foreign technologies and components
• High cost of production compared to competitors
• Lack of confidence from Indian Air Force in terms of indigenous aircraft
• International bans and restrictions from importing components and engine, after India’s
• first nuclear test in pokhran.
• Technical obsolescence compared to other fighters of its age

Besides all the drawbacks, HAL proved their capability of mass production, which is a major factor in HAL Tejas’s production.