Government has cleared a proposal worth over Rs 2,800 crore for procuring 75 Pilatus aircraft from Switzerland to train Indian Air Force rookie pilots.

The decision was taken at a meeting of Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) last evening chaired by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Defence Ministry officials said the new Pilatus aircraft will replace the HPT-32 trainer aircraft which have been grounded for over two years after a fatal accident in 2009.

Recently, the Parliament's Standing Committee on Defence also highlighted the critical deficiency of trainer aircraft for the young IAF pilots The delivery of the planes are expected to begin by the middle of 2013.