NEW DELHI — Saddled with obsolete training aircraft, the Indian air force (IAF) has decided to snub the long-delayed, indigenous HJT-36 Sitara intermediate jet trainer (IJT) and purchase new trainers from abroad. The IAF has issued a request for information for a lightweight, single-engine, twin-seat trainer with a secondary light attack capability, an official at India’s ministry of defense says. “We have asked the vendors to provide cost details for the direct purchase of IJTs for batch sizes of 10, 20, 30 and 50 aircraft,” he says.

NEW DELHI — India is lining up international customers for its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) as the country looks to boost its share of the global launch market. Antrix Corp., the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), has signed an agreement with Singapore Technologies Electronics Ltd. to launch its first commercial satellite, TeLEOS-1.

The Indian air force may be within months of receiving its intermediate jet trainer aircraft (IJT), which has been in development since 1999. “The much-delayed Sitara IJT is likely to be operational this year. . . . All efforts are being made by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) for achieving the final operational clearance by December 2014,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony says. “Production of the aircraft will commence immediately thereafter.”