HAL removes Lord Hanuman's image from trainer jet model fin

HAL, had unveiled a scale model of its HLFT-42 at the Aero India, with a fin signage generating interest among the delegates

The tail of HAL's fighter aircraft with a portrait of Lord Hanuman in a pose striking with his mace with a message 'The storm is coming' displayed during the inauguration of Aero India 2023, at Yelahanka air base in Bengaluru. Credit: PTI Photo

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Tuesday removed the picture of Lord Hanuman from the tail of the HLFT-42 aircraft model displayed at Aero India 2023 in Bengaluru, news agency ANI reported.

HAL, had, on Monday unveiled a scale model of its Hindustan Lead in Fighter Trainer (HLFT)-42 at the Aero India, with a fin signage generating interest among the delegates. On the vertical fin of the mock-up was an image of Lord Hanuman, in a mace-swinging combat posture. The image came with the text – 'The storm is coming'.

HAL did not officially spell out reasons for the image on the trainer that set off conversations online. A source, however, traced it to the trainer’s genesis, from an earlier, indigenously developed fighter from the 1960s named the HF-24 Marut.

The HLFT-42 is billed as the ‘Next-Gen Supersonic Trainer’ with critical utility in combat aircraft training.