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India Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas
An indigenous intermediate jet trainer developed by HAL to replace the Kiran trainer fleet for stage-II pilot training in the Indian Air Force, redesignated Yashas after redesign to resolve early spin-recovery issues.
In service since 2023 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
950
km/h
925
km range
9,000
m ceiling
1,000
kg payload
Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to India export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2023. Status: active.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 950 km/h Stronger than 39% of trainers
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 0.8 Mach Bottom 5% of trainers
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 925 km Bottom 3% of trainers
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 9,000 m Bottom 3% of trainers
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 5 Stronger than 29% of trainers
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 1,000 kg Stronger than 25% of trainers
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 11.6 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 8.5 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 3,600 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 5,100 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- NPO Saturn AL-55I turbofan
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 1
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 17 kN Stronger than 23% of trainers
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 0 Bottom 4% of trainers
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 13% of trainers
Specifications compiled from public Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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What is the top speed of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas has a maximum speed of 950 km/h.
What is the range of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas has a maximum range of 925 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas can carry up to 1,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas weigh? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas has a combat weight of 5,100 kg.
How many crew does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas require? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas requires a crew of 2.
What engine does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas use? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas is powered by the NPO Saturn AL-55I turbofan.
How many countries operate the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas cost? +
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited HJT-36 Sitara / Yashas: Unit cost not publicly disclosed. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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