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http:/ /timesofindia .indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/india-to-give-new-wings-to-3-aircraft­programmes/articleshow/57197428.cms

India to give new wings to 3 aircraft programmes

BENGALURU : The renewed thrust for regional

connectivity and the Indian Air Force 's need to replace some of its transport aircraft will see India

revive three aircraft programmes, all being designed

in Bengaluru. These include the re-engined and modified version of the 14-seater Saras aircraft.

National Laboratories Limited (NAL), which first conceived Saras as a civil aircraft, has been pushing

for military certification in the past two years, hoping

to sell the aircraft to the IAF.

Saras, a light transport aircraft, wa s handed over to the Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment of IAF,

and NAL is hopeful of its first flight in 45 days. "The modified Saras will have a new configuration . While

the design is for a 14-seater plane, it can be

configured to accommodate 19," NAL director

Jitendra Jadhav said. Union minister for science and technology Harsh Vardhan, who met with Jadhav, said the Centre will provide all support .

"NAL has improved a lot in the past one-and-a-half

years and no project will suffer for want of funds," he

said.

Jadhav said manufacturing of two limited series

prototypes will need Rs 400 crore toRs 500 crore. "The final product will be taken care of by IAF, but we'll need this money for prototypes," he said.

If the project is revived, Saras will boast of mu lti-role

capabilities like feeder line aircraft, air ambulance, executive aircraft, troop transport, reconnaissance, aerial survey and light cargo transport .

The Saras programme had come crashing after a 2009 accident. The original design included a maximum takeoff weight of 6,100kg and maximum payload of 1,232kg.

The first prototype which completed its maiden flight

on May 29, 2004, was overweight at 5,118kg compared to the 4,125kg design specifications.

70-SEATER TO BE REVIVED

Harsh Vardhan and Jadhav said the 70-seater aircraft programme -which has consistently failed to take off

from the drawing board -will also be revived .

As of now, only a paper design is complete as the

project was shelved three years ago. "The aircraft will

now be reconfigured, given that the regional transport police will require capacity building," Harsh Vardhan said.

When the project was shelved, NAL projected an

estimated cost of Rs 9,000 crore.

A source told TOI that the aircraft, which will be

capable of short takeoff, will be able to operate from smaller airfields and airports that the Regional Connectivity Policy is aiming to revive.

NAL-MAHINDRA PROJECT

NM5-100, the 5-seater aircraft jointly developed by

NAL and Mahindra Aerospace, being tested in

Australia since 201112 after it was felt that the

Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) lacked the

expertise to certify aircraft, will be brought back to

India for certification .

"There have been 12 flights in Australia . Now the

DGCA has improved and they have about 20

engineers in Bengaluru. We will bring the aircraft back

to India," Jadhav said.

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17Feb,2017 http: //www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/india-to-revive-three-passenger­

plane-projects-Iooks-to-tap-feeder-routes-1 17021 600634_ 1 .html

India to revive three passenger plane projects., looks to tap feeder routes

India plans to revive its three-passenger plane programmes, the 14-scater Saras, the five-seater NM-5 being developed with Mahindra Aerospace and a 70-seater regional transport aircraft (RT A-70) as it looks to meet the growing demand for planes ro connect small airports in the country.

The country expects to connect sma ll towns with main metros through its regional connectivity scheme (RCS) by offering incentives to airlines to fly small planes. The government is looking to offer incentives, including relief in aviat ion turbine fuel , reduced landing and parking charges and set up a regional connectivity fund to subsidise air travel to the hinterland .

To meet the anticipated demand, the government says it wou ld need locally built aircraft so that the benefits are reaped by Indian entrepreneurs.

The first of the planes is to bring NM5. a five -scat passenger aircraft co-developed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) with Mahindra, to India and certify it by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan said at the Aero lndia show.

NAL wi ll revtve its three-decade-old Saras project, which was grounded after a crash in March 2009 that killed two engin eers and a pilot. The 14-seat plane , named after the Saras crane, has been reconfigured based on recommendations of an expert committee that investigated the crash. It will also be expanded to a llJ -seat configuration for civi li an puq1oscs over the next two years.

"Ground testing has already been done and in the next one and a half months it wi ll begin the official flight tests and initially some 25 flights have been planned," said Vardhan .

NA L needs around Rs 400 crore for two prototypes that wou ld be funded by the Indian Air Force.

"For these two limited series production aircraft , we need about 400-500 crores for the full production and the final production will be taken care of by the Air Force which they will fu nd the money." said NAL Director Jitendra J Jadhav.

NAL will also revive its RTA-70 passenger plane project, which it first proposed in 2007, and has asked aero-engi ne maker Pratt and Whitney to build a turbo-prop engine for the passenger aircraft. The project is estimated to cost around Rs 4.000 crorc and wou ld in volve local indus try players and a globa l partner to take it to the global market.

A feasibi li ty study by NAL estimates around 250-300 such aircraft for Indi a over 20 years and global demand of 7,000 planes that can complete tr ips of 800 km. It a lso cou ld potentially replace the A 32 and HS 748 aircraft of the IAF.

NAL has transferred the technology of its 2-seater Hansa, a composite light ai rcraft for flying training to Mesco Aerospace Pvt Ltd, to produce and market the aircraft . The plane will also be used as a platform for flight test in g and experimentation of new technologies by NAL.

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INL)Il\.~ EXPRESS Feb. 17, 2017

http:/ / www .newindianexpress.com/states/ karnataka/2017/ feb/17/lighter-stronger-saras-set-to-fly-aga in­with in-next-three-m onths-1571526.html

Lighter, stronger Saras set to fly again within next three months

BENGALURU: India's ambitious multi-role transport aircraft project seems to be on a revival mode. National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) has reduced the aircraft weight and got engines with more power to put Saras project back on track. It is likely to take to the skies again in the next three months.

Indian Air Force (IAF) is backing the 14-seater aircraft project that had almost hit a dead end due to weight issues and a major mishap in 2009. "The IAF recently sent a letter stating they are still interested in the aircraft ," a senior NAL official said.

The aircraft was overweight by 500 kg. "Weight optimisation has been done. Metal wings have been replaced with those made from composite materials and even the fuselage has been structurally optimised to reduce its weight by 500 kg," the officer, who is associated with the project, said .

Saras also got the more powerful Pratt & Whitney 1200 SHP engines over the earlier 850 SHP ones. NAL is now preparing for ground tests and hopes to start flight tests in two-three months.

On Thursday, Union Minister of Science & Technology Dr Harsh Vardhan told media persons that the project has been revived with modifications after considering the recommendations of a committee that looked into the 2009 accident.

Jithendra Jadhav, Director ofNAL, said Saras will be in action within the next one-and-half months. NAL has made many changes in the aircraft and integrated latest systems, he said.

On funding , the NAL director said they do not need any additional funding as they received funds from CSTR. " In the next phase, we need around Rs 400-500 crore for production of two Limited Series Production aircraft and LAF will fund it," he added.

Jadhav also said they are looking at options of a stretch version of Saras in the J 9-seater configuration .

In an attempt to boost domestic air operations, NAL has tied up with Mahindra Aerospace Pvt Ltd to have a plant in India to start production of the C-NM5 aircraft in India.

Speaking at a press conference, Union Minister of Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Dr Harsh Vardhan said, "The five-seater C-NM5 was designed by NAL and fabricated by Mahindra in association with a laboratory of Australia . Now they have agreed to bring it back to India . In the next few months, we will get certifications from authorities concerned. Production of the C-NM5 , which can be used as an air taxi, is expected to start in another 18 months from now."

NAL said, "Studies have been canied out regarding developing a Regional Transport Aircraft (RT A). The feasibility study forecast about 250-300 aircraft for India (20-year demand), over 7,000 RT A class of aircraft in the international market and about 150 aircraft for military transport in India (replacement for A 32 and HS 748) .

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http://www. theh indu business! i ne .com/news/sa rs/a rticle954 7354.ece

NAL to revive SARAS., two other civil passenger aircraft

Working on prototype for five-seater with Mahindra Aerospace

With the regional connectivity policy in place, CSIR's lab, National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), has revived its three civil passenger aeroplane projects - the 14-sca tcr SARAS, the five-seater CNM-5 and the 70-scatcr Region a l Transport Aircraft (RTA-70).

File photo of indigenously developed SARAS civil

passenger aircraft

"CSlR has given the go-ahead for carrying out flight testing and evaluation ofSARAS PTJN aircraft," Union Science and Technology Minister Harsh Vardhan announced at the Aero India 2017.

"Shortly, we will be start ing the flight tests with the ASTE (Aircraft and Systems Testing Establishment) team and e ngin e ground tests are initiated . This study will take a year and will provide essential information towards arriving at aircraft configuration for the subsequent weight optimised build and pave the way forward towards arriving at an aircraft which will be suitable to meet the IAF requirement through the Limited Series Production (LSP) phase."

As for the CNM-5 five-seat general civil aviation aircraft, Vardhan said: "CSlR-NAL is working out a roadmap for the manufacture and

develo pmental flight testing of five-scat multi­role CNM-5 prototype aircraft leading to FAR 23 certifications in pat1nership with Mahindra Aerospace."

" It is being designed to be an affordable, easy­to-operate and easy-to-maintain light aircraft that can be customised to suit a variety of operational needs. This programme aims to boost manufacturing of small civil aircraft in the country. The CNM-5 has potential applications in air taxi , tourism, cargo, and executive transport in the country," he added.

Talking about RTA , Vardhan said: "Studies have been carried out regarding developing an RT A." The feasibility study has indicated demand for about 250-300 a ircraft over 20 years in India .

Funding needs

NAL Director Jitendra J Jadhav, replying to a question on funding, said: ''About 400-500 crore is required for the two prototypes of SARAS. The desi gn will be officially finalised and approved by the end of this year and by next yearend it should be flying."

CSIR-NAL 's developmental work over the years in both strategic and civil sector have resulted in spin-off technologies that have significantly contributed to the non-aerospace sector, said Girish Sal111i, Secretary, DSIR, and DG, CSIR. "In order to encourage SMEs and MSMEs, technologies for Make in India developed by CSIR were released at the Aero India 201 7 as a compendium of 'Technologies for Industries '," he added.

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