"Symbol of India's aeronautical prowess": BJP MP Tejasvi Surya after flying in HTT-40 aircraft at Aero India 2025

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], February 13 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya on Thursday flew in an HTT-40 at Aero India 2025 in Karnataka's Bengaluru and asserted that the aircraft symbolizes India's journey from foreign dependency to 'Aatmanirbharta'.
Speaking to ANI, Surya said that the HTT-40 aircraft, produced by HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited), is a symbol of India's aeronautical prowess.
"Today, I had the opportunity to fly in the HTT-40, an indigenously built trainer aircraft produced by our own HAL. It is a symbol of India's aeronautical prowess," the BJP leader said.
"In 2012, the UPA government placed an order to procure trainer jets from a Swiss company for India's security needs. This procurement was riddled with questions. In 2019, a CBI inquiry proved that there was involvement of middlemen. The investigation led to the blacklisting of this Swiss company. The entire process caused the indigenous trainer aircraft manufacturing program of HAL to suffer," Surya said.
Further highlighting the efforts of the BJP government to boost HAL, he said, "In 2014, after PM Narendra Modi came to lead the country and with the painstaking efforts of then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, HAL was given financial support and administrative encouragement to restart the indigenous trainer jet manufacturing program."
He reiterated that the indigenously built trainer aircraft has great potential to be made into a low-cost combat aircraft, especially to cater to the defense needs of the Global South.
"HTT-40 is a symbol of how India has moved from scandal to self-reliance, from foreign dependency to Aatmanirbharta, from not trusting our institutions and engineers to manufacturing state-of-the-art aircraft that are second to none in the world," the South Bengaluru MP stated.
"The aircraft, which is the intermediate jet trainer produced by HAL, has great potential to be made into a low-cost combat aircraft, especially to cater to the defense needs of the Global South. In the coming years, many countries in the Global South and Southeast Asia have shown interest in buying these HAL-made low-cost fighter jets for their defense needs," he added.
Aero India 2025 is being held at Yelahanka Air Force Station from February 10 to 14.
Meanwhile, Manthan 2025, the flagship annual defense innovation event, was held in Bengaluru on Wednesday as part of Aero India 2025, according to a release by the Ministry of Defence.
Organized by the Innovations for Defence Excellence - Defence Innovation Organisation (iDEX-DIO) under the aegis of the Department of Defence Production, the event brought together stakeholders of the defense innovation ecosystem, including innovators, industry leaders, academia, incubators, investors, thought leaders, and senior government officials, the release stated.
Reacting to PM Modi's visit to the US, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya said that the India-US relationship is an important one for both countries. He asserted that the bilateral relationship between New Delhi and Washington will grow stronger.
"The bilateral relationship is only growing stronger with the new administration in place. It will only grow stronger. India plays an important role in the scientific and entrepreneurial sectors in the US. The US is a very important partner in many areas of national importance for India," the BJP MP stated.
PM Modi arrived in the US for a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump. India's Ambassador to the US, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, and other officials welcomed him at the airport. This is PM Modi's first visit to the United States since Donald Trump assumed office for his second term. (ANI)