Honeywell Aerospace, the aerospace company based in Phoenix, Arizona, is speeding up engine deliveries to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the state-owned aircraft maker in India. The engines power the HTT-40, the basic trainer that India’s air force will use for the first stage of pilot training.
Matt Milas, president of defense and space at Honeywell Aerospace, told Mint that the company will deliver eight engines to HAL by the end of 2026, including the four already supplied, and another eight by mid-2027. That makes sixteen direct deliveries, two years ahead of its 2029 timeline.
“We are tracking all the major milestones and we are ahead of schedule,” Milas said. He added that Honeywell is working with suppliers to clear bottlenecks and is investing in its supply-chain ecosystem.
What the engines power
The TPE331-12B turboprop engine drives the HTT-40. HAL builds the trainer in Bengaluru, in southern India, and Nashik, in western India, and can produce twenty aircraft a year once supply stabilizes, according to the report. India’s air force has ordered seventy aircraft for $706 million at current exchange rates. Across the whole program, eighty-eight engines and engine kits are planned.
Honeywell signed an agreement worth more than $100 million with HAL in 2022 to supply engines and related equipment. After the first sixteen engines, the report said, Honeywell is expected to help HAL move to local assembly. “We are still working on the technology transfer details and timelines,” Milas said.
According to the report, Honeywell Aerospace had sales of $17.4 billion in 2025, before it separated from Honeywell. It became a standalone publicly traded company in June 2026.
