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India's civilian aircraft project turns military
After a little over 20 years and an estimated expenditure of at least Rs 1,000 crore, the ambition to have an India-made civilian transport aircraft is nowhere near completion and has morphed into a military version.
The plan for a multi-purpose civil aviation aircraft began in 1991 as a collaboration with Russia but financial trouble there led the Russians to drop out. The project almost came to a halt when hit by the US-imposed sanctions in 1998, after India’s nuclear tests. Termed ‘Saras’, it was then sanctioned in September 1999, with the initial aim of a maiden flight by March 2001.
However, the response to an application by Business Standard under the national Right to Information law, on Saras’ status, shows it is now being developed as a military aircraft. According to the response from the National Aerospace Laboratory, it has sent a draft ‘certificate of design’ for the avionics system, flight control system, hydraulics and landing gear, among other systems, to the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification. At the same time, clearance has been sought from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance for some of the systems.
The directorate general of civil aviation has not allowed any more flights till date after one in 2009 resulted in the deaths of two pilots and a flight test engineer. On March 6, 2009, two Indian Air Force test pilots, Wg Cdr Praveen Kotekoppa and Wg Cdr Dipesh Shah, with a test engineer, Sqdn Ldr Ilayaraja, were killed when the second prototype Saras craft crashed and caught fire in a field near Bidadi, about 30 km from here.
According to the response from the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) to the RTI, it has forwarded a draft "certificate of design" documents for avionics system, flight control system, hydraulics and landing gear among other systems to CEMILAC or the Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification. At the same time, clearance has been sought from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) for some of the systems.
"This means it is definitely now aimed at securing certification for military use before approaching the DGCA for a certification for civilian use," said an aerospace expert, adding "the cost of developing the aircraft should have crossed Rs 1,000 crore."
Former Director of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) T S Prahlad had earlier said in Bangalore while delivering a lecture that the civil aircraft development industry is being bogged down by lack of coordination between certifying agencies in the country and other international bodies.
The IAF had signed up with NAL for the purchase of 15 Saras aircraft. The Kanpur unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is expected to manufacture the planes, and the 14-seater twin-engine aircraft is to be used for coastal surveillance as well as training young cadets on flying transport aircraft. The upgraded prototype I of Saras was due to make its first flight by 2011-end leading to certification and first deliveries in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
While the designed empty weight of the aircraft is around 4,125 kg, the first prototype weighed in around 5,118 kg. This issue is sought to be addressed by including composite wings and tail by the third prototype.
The airframe of Saras-PT2 was built with lighter composites to reduce its overall weight by about 400 kg from its first prototype, which was overweight by about 900 kg. The aircraft is powered by two Canadian Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engines.
After a little over 20 years and an estimated expenditure of at least Rs 1,000 crore, the ambition to have an India-made civilian transport aircraft is nowhere near completion and has morphed into a military version.
The plan for a multi-purpose civil aviation aircraft began in 1991 as a collaboration with Russia but financial trouble there led the Russians to drop out. The project almost came to a halt when hit by the US-imposed sanctions in 1998, after India’s nuclear tests. Termed ‘Saras’, it was then sanctioned in September 1999, with the initial aim of a maiden flight by March 2001.
However, the response to an application by Business Standard under the national Right to Information law, on Saras’ status, shows it is now being developed as a military aircraft. According to the response from the National Aerospace Laboratory, it has sent a draft ‘certificate of design’ for the avionics system, flight control system, hydraulics and landing gear, among other systems, to the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification. At the same time, clearance has been sought from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance for some of the systems.
The directorate general of civil aviation has not allowed any more flights till date after one in 2009 resulted in the deaths of two pilots and a flight test engineer. On March 6, 2009, two Indian Air Force test pilots, Wg Cdr Praveen Kotekoppa and Wg Cdr Dipesh Shah, with a test engineer, Sqdn Ldr Ilayaraja, were killed when the second prototype Saras craft crashed and caught fire in a field near Bidadi, about 30 km from here.
According to the response from the National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) to the RTI, it has forwarded a draft "certificate of design" documents for avionics system, flight control system, hydraulics and landing gear among other systems to CEMILAC or the Center for Military Airworthiness and Certification. At the same time, clearance has been sought from the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance (DGAQA) for some of the systems.
"This means it is definitely now aimed at securing certification for military use before approaching the DGCA for a certification for civilian use," said an aerospace expert, adding "the cost of developing the aircraft should have crossed Rs 1,000 crore."
Former Director of National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) T S Prahlad had earlier said in Bangalore while delivering a lecture that the civil aircraft development industry is being bogged down by lack of coordination between certifying agencies in the country and other international bodies.
The IAF had signed up with NAL for the purchase of 15 Saras aircraft. The Kanpur unit of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd is expected to manufacture the planes, and the 14-seater twin-engine aircraft is to be used for coastal surveillance as well as training young cadets on flying transport aircraft. The upgraded prototype I of Saras was due to make its first flight by 2011-end leading to certification and first deliveries in 2013 and 2014 respectively.
While the designed empty weight of the aircraft is around 4,125 kg, the first prototype weighed in around 5,118 kg. This issue is sought to be addressed by including composite wings and tail by the third prototype.
The airframe of Saras-PT2 was built with lighter composites to reduce its overall weight by about 400 kg from its first prototype, which was overweight by about 900 kg. The aircraft is powered by two Canadian Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engines.
