HAL finalising roadmap for civilian passenger aircraft

[Marshal]

HAL finalising roadmap for civilian passenger aircraft- Airlines / Aviation-Transportation-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times
NEW DELHI: Aerospace and defence manufacturing giant Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is preparing a roadmap for implementation of its "dream project" to produce the country's first indigenously developed civilian passenger aircraft.

The project is in the planning stage and a final roadmap is being prepared so that work on it could be started soon, a top official in the state-run company said.

"It has been conceived as a dream project of HAL and we are in the process of finalizing the finer details," he said.

The project is considered to be a major leap in India's civil aviation sector and its successful completion would put the Bangalore-based PSU in the league of some of the leading global players.

The official said Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) will be involved in the ambitious project.

"The CSIR and DRDO will also play an active role in the project," he said.

He said HAL may seek foreign cooperation in certain areas to develop the new 70 to 100 seater aircraft but insisted that it will be a purely indigenous product.

Asked whether HAL was seeking help from Canada's Bombardier or Brazil's Embraer, he said it was too early to comment on it.

"It is too premature to comment on it. But definitely we may seek cooperation from global players in certain areas," he said.

The official said HAL may also involve renowned design houses from abroad to design the aircraft.

 

[Neo]

Do we have drawings or artists impressions about the airframe yet?

Btw, whats the latest on Saras?

 

[Marshal]

Not yet...
SARAS NEWS
domain-b.com : Third prototype of NAL's Saras to fly out next year

 

[Marshal]

NAL to get DGQA certification for Saras in 2010
http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20080626/984622.html
The much-delayed Saras, the first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft, will be taken to the production level once it gets certification from DGQA in 2010, National Aerospace Laboratories Director A R Upadhya has said.

Speaking to reporters here last night, he said the cost of the project, conceived during 1991 and originally pegged at Rs 139 crore, was likely to go up to Rs 200 crore by the time NAL completed the third prototype, whose weight had been brought down by 500 kg.

Weight had been the main problem of the 15-seater aircraft, for which the Indian Air Force had issued a letter of intent for 35 aircraft.

''We have Prototype 1 and 2 flying at present and prototype 3 is ready to take to the skies. It will be mainly used to test avionics, while the first two for getting the certification. By the time we get certification, we will complete the third prototype and then it will go to the production level,'' he said.

Mr M S Chidananda, Programme Director, Civil Aviation programme, and Head of C-CADD, NAL, said the aircraft had completed 400 flights. IAF had given LOI for supply of 12 Saras aircraft, but NAL could be delivering five or six, he said.

Dr Upadhya said NAL's dream project of developing the Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA-70) would be taken up during the current plan period. ''For this project, we are trying to have a tie up with both public and private partners both in India and abroad. The turbo prop aircraft is being designed in two models -- 50-seater and 70-seater -- and the project would be achieved between four and seven years,'' he said.

NAL was looking for partners in both design and technology. ''We are talking to Pratt and Whitney as they had been our long time partners. We are open to discuss the project with other foreign players as well,'' he said.

 

[nitesh]

domain-b.com : HAL to manufacture NAL-designed, 14-seater passenger aircraft, Saras

 

[Marshal]

NAL's SARAS

 

[Imran Khan]

nice pics when we see it on sky

 

[muse]

,

the first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft, will be taken to the production level once it gets certification from DGQA in 2010

Great stuff

 

[Neo]

Looking good guys, I envy you!

 

[Marshal]

nice pics when we see it on sky

Thanks mate .....But it is already in the sky ..two prototypes are already in the sky and the third one is being built ......

More pics........

 

[Marshal]

 

[nitesh]

marshal on the roll

 

[Energon]

IMO HAL is doing everything in their power to launch projects that will save their skins (or at least keep them afloat) in the coming decades. Mahindra, TATA, L&T et. al. are poised to enter the aerospace manufacturing market which means HAL has to get its act together now or face dissolution much like other state run industrial organizations of yesteryear which were run into the ground by superior competition (primarily by the abovementioned companies).

With the booming civil aviation sector, passenger aircrafts are one good way to ensure profits and economic stability. I still think this "awakening" has come in a tad bit too late as Boeing, Embraer and Airbus have already established hefty market shares... but I guess better late than never.

 

[Marshal]

marshal on the roll

well thank you nitesh

 

[nitesh]

IMO HAL is doing everything in their power to launch projects that will save their skins (or at least keep them afloat) in the coming decades. Mahindra, TATA, L&T et. al. are poised to enter the aerospace manufacturing market which means HAL has to get its act together now or face dissolution much like other state run industrial organizations of yesteryear which were run into the ground by superior competition (primarily by the abovementioned companies).

With the booming civil aviation sector, passenger aircrafts are one good way to ensure profits and economic stability. I still think this "awakening" has come in a tad bit too late as Boeing, Embraer and Airbus have already established hefty market shares... but I guess better late than never.

Energon although you have a point, but aircraft designing and manufacturing is not an easy thing to do. You need a whole gamut of facilities to be able to do that. Al though there entry might increase the competition but it will time for them to become any real threat to HAL.