I am Group Captain Venugopal. I am currently functioning as a chief test pilot for fixed wind for HAL. I’m a veteran. I was in the Air Force, commissioned in 1989 into the fighter stream and I’m a qualified flying instructor. I became an experimental test pilot in 1997-98.

Some of the things that I have done are essentially, done my tour of duty as a combat pilot as a supervisor in the Fighter Squadron, frontline squadron. I have commanded a frontline squadron. I have also been chief operations officer of a frontline base. Then I got assigned to the LCA program and on the LCA program, I was there for about 6 years and that was with ADA when LCA was going through development.

After that I took voluntary retirement and joined HAL as an experimental test pilot. In HAL, I have been the lead pilot for the HTT-40 program and also the LCA MK 1A development. It’s not so much about what I have done or anything like that. It’s more about being lucky to have gotten the opportunity I have got. Maybe I was in the right time at the right place. So that’s how it was. Been lucky to have flown about 3 full fledged prototype programs. It started with the Saras and then joined LCA. After I came to HAL, I have done the HTT. Now the MK 1A, that’s the fourth program. For a test pilot, that is something that is really unique in the sense that you have been lucky to get the opportunity to work on so many of these programs. So that’s where I stand.

As an individual, I love music, I love reading, organic farming. I have 2 children. Son is doing his masters and my daughter has just finished her graduation and she is working in Delhi as an intern and my wife is a working professional. That’s about me

Q – How has your experience with Aero India 2023 been?

23? Yes.

Aero India 2023 has been good so far, can’t complain. Would have liked to do more. We were expecting that HTT-40 would possibly get its contract on the sidelines of this air show. That’s not happened. Does not matter. Otherwise in terms of our effort and participation, it was great. So we got good opportunity to showcase the HAL’s Gurukul formation, which showcases HAL’s full spectrum training capabilities. Then we also got the opportunity to some important CDFs, customer demonstration flights with decision makers in the Air Force as well as youngsters in the Air Force and navy. We sincerely hope that we have been able to make an impact, or our products have been able to make an impact on people, aviators, professionals and key decision makers in the services.

Q – Is there anything you are looking forward to in the next aero show?

Yes! We would like to see more. Definitely more indigenous programs, more HAL programs showcased here and we would be showcasing them. We have major programs in the pipeline. In the next air show we hope to bring the combat air teaming system in a big way. We hope to at-least have started prototype work on the HLFT-42, which is our concept of the lead in fighter trainer. It’s got super sonic capabilities and some of the other UAVs and UCAV programs we would like to showcase.

Q – So if you can give us more details for the current project you are involved with at HAL.

As CTP, my main responsibility runs wide and deep. I have essentially 3 tasks. Number one is that I’m responsible for post production and post overall flight testing. That is more like a quality control check for the aeroplanes that are made, that are overhauled at Bangalore. Equally important is the design and development goals of HAL DND design complex and the third important role I have is make sure that HAL as a company, our image and our activities are correctly coordinated and executed in air shows, marketing or any such events where it is required or operational commitments. Tomorrow there may be a requirement to support Air Force or do something. Those are the things that is, those are my responsibilities. So I can’t really pin point and say this is my project or this is this. But in terms of DND projects, I told you, we are currently running HTT-40 in final stage. We have gotten modified, intermediate jet trainer, the HJT-36 which is under going spin program and the LCA MK 1A is undergoing development. So my hands are full.

You have quite a few, somethings to look forward to in the future.

Yes, very much. Work is always good to be having. I’d rather have my inbox full. So that I have things to do rather than have inbox empty.

Q – Do you have any indigenous future projects that we can expect in the session of Aero India?

Yes. Next session, I told you. We would have possibly started the advanced stage of production of HTT-40 in the next air show. We hope to have vertigo the HJT-36 and we hope to have at least, maybe the roll out of the HLFT-42 in the next air show and some combat air teaming systems we should be able to showcase. That’s from the fixed wing side.

Thank you so much for your words. We hope to see all the things you are talking about in the future very soon.

I hope so too. Thank you.