The forgotten Indian fighter that could have changed defence history
The forgotten Indian fighter that could have changed defence history
Rajesh SharmaJairaj Singh
TIMESOFINDIA.COM
Updated: Jun 25, 2025, 19:38 IST IST
In 1961, India became the first non-Western nation to build a supersonic-capable jet. Designed with German help, the HF-24 Marut was bold, homegrown and ahead of its time, but it crashed before it could truly soar
In 1961, India made global aerospace history. On a Bangalore airstrip, a silver-grey fighter jet lifted off the tarmac and soared into the sky. The aircraft was the HF-24 . The man in the cockpit was Wing Commander Suranjan Das. And the moment marked India's entry into a one-of-a-kind club.
The Hindustan Fighter-24 (HF-24), designed in India and capable of supersonic speeds, was the first such aircraft to be built outside the Western world. For a country just 14 years into independence, whose industrial base was still emerging from colonial rule and exploits, it was a feat of staggering ambition.
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