HAL HF-24 Marut

The HAL HF-24 Marut was an Indian jet fighter-bomber developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in the 1960s and early 1970s and designed by the German engineer Kurt Tank. It was the first jet fighter developed in India. The prototype flew on 17 June 1961 and the first production aircraft was delivered to the Indian Air Force on 1 April 1967. Conceived as a supersonic interceptor, it never exceeded Mach 1 because it was held to the unreheated Bristol Siddeley Orpheus 703 engine. Its cost and performance were often criticised, yet it served well in the ground attack role, notably at the Battle of Longewala in 1971. A total of 147 were built, the Air Force was the only operator, and the type was phased out in the late 1980s.