Indian IT firms to join : NAL's Military Transport Aircraft project

[Justin Joseph]

Indian IT firms to join : NAL's Military Transport Aircraft project

Peerzada Abrar

BANGALORE: Technology firms Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Wipro and QuEST, apart from private sector aviation companies such as Mahindra Aerospace and L&T , are among the vendors currently in discussions with the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) for providing software, designing and manufacturing around 500 regional transport aircraft.

India’s ambitious civil aviation program (RTA-70) is aimed at building planes for carrying 70-90 passengers on short haul flights, and rival similar aircrafts from ATR, which currently dominates the country’s skies.

Officials at NAL, the premier agency spearheading the project, confirmed that alliances are being worked out. “Negotiations are on with various private players like TCS, Infosys, Wipro to provide expertise in software, hardware and product development,” a senior NAL official said on conditions of anonymity. The design and development of the prototype is estimated to cost about Rs 5,000 crore and is expected to be ready by 2015-16 for flight trials.

Of the 500 planes, 200 will be sold to Indian defence, 200 to civil aviation companies and 100 units are to be exported.

The project committee will explore the need to go in for a public-private partnership (PPP) at the beginning, so as to involve the Indian aerospace industry, which will be responsible for production at a later stage and marketing and servicing subsequently, officials added.

At the peak of the project, about 500 people from state-run agencies and around 2,000 people from the industry will be involved.

According to Roddam Narasimha, one of India’s top aerospace scientists and a member of the high-powered committee for the country’s national civil aircraft development project, RTA-70 is just a step in building a successful and globally competitive civil aviation program. “Public-private partnership is part of our vision for this project. We never had a civil aeronautical aircraft programme, nor have we made serious attempts,” Mr Narasimha said.

“You will be surprised to know that 10 years ago, Indian Aeronautics was ahead of China. We had developed some of the key technologies on our own such as Carbon Fibre Wings and Flight Control System . India should take an initiative for a Civil Aeronautics Flight Programme. This project is a step in that direction,” said Mr Narasimha.

As trained people in the aerospace area are limited, the committee will rope in design experts from state-run organisations such as Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to share some of the project workload. The committee is headed by former chairman of ISRO, G Madhavan Nair.

The project committee has decided to form nine sub-committees to prepare reports on various parameters such as choice of engine, composite materials, avionics, landing gear, control systems, short haul runways, setting up of design bureau, hiring people, engaging the industry and infrastructure required for operating the regional transport aircraft service.

“The major projects have got delayed, not because we lack capabilities, but due to indecisiveness at the policy level. We want to develop an aircraft that serves not only India, but the world,” said Mr Narasimha.

The committee hopes the prototype will be rolled out in the next 5-6 years for flight testing and certification for initial operational clearance. By then, it plans to have production facility in place with the industry.

Besides Mr Nair, CSIR director-general Samir K Brahmchari, ISRO chairman K Radhakrishnan, DRDO chairman VK Saraswat, NAL director AR Upadhyaya, HAL chairman Ashok Nayak, Space Commission member Roddam Narasimha, Hinduja Automotive vice-chairman V Sumantran and Kinetic Engineering director Arun Firodia are the members of the high-powered committee.

SPREADING WINGS

India’s ambitious civil aviation program (RTA-70 ) is aimed at building planes for carrying 70-90 passengers on short haul flights.

Of the 500 planes, 200 will be sold to Indian armed forces, 200 to civil aviation cos and 100 units will be exported.

Prototype design & development may cost around Rs 5,000 cr and is expected to be ready by 2015-16 for flight trials.

The project committee will rope in design experts from state-run organisations.

IT firms to take to the skies?, News - Business - Mumbai Mirror

 

[qwerrty]

"expected to be ready by 2015-16 for flight trials."

add 10-15 more years. india has zero experience in building plane at this size. the saras is much smaller than this and has been in development for many years and still not ready yet..


"Of the 500 planes, 200 will be sold to Indian defence, 200 to civil aviation companies and 100 units are to be exported."


make it fly first. this is not arjun. this is civilian passenger plane. you might not get a single order.

 

[devd]

"expected to be ready by 2015-16 for flight trials."

add 10-15 more years. india has zero experience in building plane at this size. the saras is much smaller than this and has been in development for many years and still not ready yet..


"Of the 500 planes, 200 will be sold to Indian defence, 200 to civil aviation companies and 100 units are to be exported."


make it fly first. this is not arjun. this is civilian passenger plane. you might not get a single order.

Do you at all know ABCD of IT? another ex. of lack of knowledge

FYI: India has a single monoply in the IT all over the world.
and yes dont argue with me as i prefer not to reply.

 

[sancho]

"Of the 500 planes, 200 will be sold to Indian defence, 200 to civil aviation companies and 100 units are to be exported."

make it fly first. this is not arjun. this is civilian passenger plane. you might not get a single order.

Actually I agree, 70 passenger class would be in the EADS 295, C-27J class and even the Russians are developing a new aircraft in that class, the Ilyushin IL-112:

Ilyushin Il-112 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

That means, there are enough aircrafts in similar classes, be it European high tech, or Russian cost-effective versions. It's doubtful that NAL will achieve 100 exports and even 200 for the Indian forces looks very optimistic.

 

[jha]

It will be a long way before orders pour in...500 is too ambitious figure for a new and not so successful firm..

 

[Kinetic]

Good!!! If Indian airlines and defence forces buy that many planes than it muight be a sure success. I am very optimistic about the project because the private and govt labs like DRDO, NAL, HAL, ISRO have joined hands.