Providing a major boost to India’s self-reliance drive in defence aviation, CSIR-Central Scientific Instruments Organisation and Bharat Electronics Limited have entered into a project agreement to develop an indigenous Pilot Display Unit for the BAE Systems Hawk Mk132 trainer aircraft used by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Navy.
The collaboration is another milestone in India’s broader effort to indigenize aerospace avionics and reduce dependence on imported defence technologies under the Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat programs. The locally developed system is intended to replace imported Head-Up Display components currently deployed across the Hawk trainer fleet.
As part of the agreement, CSIR-CSIO’s prototype and research capabilities will be combined with BEL’s production expertise to develop manufacturing-ready cockpit display systems while also strengthening India’s indigenous aerospace supply chain.
The new Pilot Display Unit is designed as an advanced compact Head-Up Display mounted directly within the pilot’s forward field of view. By projecting mission-critical information at eye level, the system reduces the need for pilots to repeatedly look down at cockpit instruments during demanding flight operations.
The indigenous display system will provide key flight information including airspeed, altitude, artificial horizon references, navigation guidance, angle of attack data, and takeoff and landing cues. Presenting real-time flight telemetry directly in front of the pilot is expected to improve operational awareness and reduce pilot workload during training and tactical missions.
Indigenizing the HUD solution is also expected to reduce long-term support and maintenance costs while giving Indian defence agencies greater freedom to implement future software upgrades, mission-specific modifications, and electronic warfare enhancements.
A major highlight of the new system is its advanced dual-mode functionality. In Raster Mode, the PDU will display live infrared and thermal imagery from external targeting or surveillance pods, enabling improved target identification and low-visibility operations during night missions.
The Mixed Mode feature will further integrate infrared imagery with flight telemetry, targeting symbology, weapon aiming data, and target tracking cues into a unified display interface. This significantly expands the operational role of the Hawk cockpit display system by turning it into a mission-support and combat assistance platform.
The system will also include an independent backup operating capability to ensure access to critical flight data during avionics or mission computer malfunctions. Through a dedicated Stand-by-Sight mode, the PDU will continue displaying essential flight and navigation information, allowing pilots to safely recover the aircraft during emergencies.
Such redundancy is considered especially valuable for trainer aircraft, where safety and reliability are paramount. The indigenous PDU program is also expected to contribute to Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s Hawk-i modernization initiative, which focuses on upgrading the Hawk platform with locally developed avionics, sensors, and mission systems to improve combat training and light attack capabilities.
