First flown on 4 Sep 1964, the Kiran was designed and built by HAL as a basic jet trainer. The first Kiran Mk.Is with the RR Viper 11 turbojet were inducted in the IAF in Mar 1968, equipping the Flying Instructors School (FIS) at Tambaram. Production was switched to the Mk.IA with hardpoints, later to the Mk.II with an 18.728kN RR Orpheus 701-05 turbojet. Internal fuel was increased to 1340 L and a pair of 7.62mm guns with 250 rounds each was fitted in the nose. The Kiran formed the IAF's Surya Kiran and Indian Navy's Sagar Pawan aerobatic teams and still serves as an intermediate trainer.

On display at the HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, Bangalore. The prototype first flew on 5 Aug 1951 in the hands of Capt Jimmy Munshi. It was the first Indian-built aircraft to achieve production status and first indigenous design to be accepted by the IAF in 1955 as an ab-initio trainer. This all-metal fixed undercarriage aircraft replaced the Tiger Moth and on it trained a number of IAF and IN pilots for Stage I at AFA, PTE and EFS till it retired from IAF service in 1989. Twelve HT-2s were exported to Ghana in 1958.

On display at the HAL Heritage Centre and Aerospace Museum, Bangalore. The Dove served the IAF from 1948 to 1978 for communication duties and navigation training.

Mk II prototype

Photo issued by Hindustan Aeronautics. Aircraft participated in celebrations of 50 years of Indian independence in 1997, and carries titles in English as well as Hindi. Photo from: Civil Aviation Historical Society, Melbourne, Victoria

Third LCA prototype