HAL Krishak

HAOP-27 Krishak
	HAL Krishak, display in Air Force Museum, Palam, New Delhi
Role	Observation aircraft
National origin	India
Manufacturer	Hindustan Aeronautics
First flight	November 1959
Status	Retired
Primary user	Indian Army
Number built	70

The HAL HAOP-27 Krishak ('Farmer')^[1] was a military observation aircraft produced in India in the 1960s. It was initially developed by Hindustan Aeronautics as an enlarged, four-seat version of the HAL Pushpak light aircraft.

Two prototypes were built, with the first flying in November 1959 and the second in November 1960.^[2] With no interest from buyers, the project was shelved until the Indian Army issued a requirement in the early 1960s for an aircraft to replace the Auster AOP.6 and AOP.9s then serving in the observation role. The original Krishak design was slightly revised to meet the new specification, and the type was adopted into service in 1965. The Krishak was phased out in the mid-1970s when it was replaced by the HAL Cheetah.

Variants

Krishak: Used a Continental 190 hp engine
Krishak Mk.2: Used a Continental 225 hp engine

Operators

India

Indian Army

Specifications (Krishak Mk.2)

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Capacity: 1 passenger
Length: 8.41 m (27 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 11.43 m (37 ft 6 in)
Height: 2.36 m (7 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 18.58 m² (200.0 sq ft)
Gross weight: 1,270 kg (2,800 lb)
Fuel capacity: 127 L (34 US gal; 28 imp gal) internal, provision for additional 64 L (17 US gal; 14 imp gal) auxiliary tank
Powerplant: 1 × Continental O-470-J air-cooled flat-six, 168 kW (225 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed Hartzell variable-pitch propeller, 2.13 m (7 ft 0 in) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed: 209 km/h (130 mph, 113 kn) at sea level
Stall speed: 74 km/h (46 mph, 40 kn) flaps up, power on
Range: 473 km (294 mi, 255 nmi) with auxiliary fuel tank
Service ceiling: 5,940 m (19,490 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.6 m/s (900 ft/min)

Notes

^ https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%95#:~:text=A%20farmer%20is%20a%20person%20who%20owns%20or%20manages%20a%20farm. ^{[bare URL]}
^ ^a ^b Taylor 1966, p. 80.

References

Taylor, John W. R. (1966). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1966–67. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Company.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 456.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 896 Sheet 02.

[1] ttps://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/hindi-english/%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%83%E0%A4%B7%E0%A4%95#:~:text=A%20farmer%20is%20a%20person%20who%20owns%20or%20manages%20a%20farm. ^{[bare URL]}

[JAWA66_p80-2] Taylor 1966, p. 80.

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