HAL-Canada's CAE to set up pilot school in B'lore

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) has forged a joint venture with Canada's CAE to set up a $55 million pilot training school in Bangalore and drawn up plans to establish a facility to manufacture multi-role combat jets.

"We have entered into a joint venture with CAE of Canada. The pilot training school will be operational in September next year," Ashok K Baweja, chairman, HAL told reporters.

The school will primarily train pilots of the indigenously built advanced light helicopter Dhruv. It would also take up turn-key training programmes for pilots of other helicopters. Baweja saw a market for 300 Dhruvs in India.

CAE is a world leader in providing simulation and modelling technologies and integrated training solutions for the civil aviation industry and defence forces. Its annual revenues exceed Canadian $1 billion.

Baweja said HAL also plans to build a factory to make multi-role combat jets and to float a separate business unit for this.

HAL is expected to manufacture a significant number of the 126 jets for which India is slated to float a tender soon.

He said HAL, a Navratna company that clocked sales of Rs 7,784 crore in 2006-07, has set up an maintenance, repair and overhaul division.

Baweja also said the first batch of Hawk trainer jets will be handed over to the IAF in April next year.