IAF’s Dornier replacement plan gives Saras a lifeline

Bangalore: The Indian Air Force, or IAF, will buy 15 Saras aircraft, the indigenously-developed civil plane of the National Aeronautics Laboratories, or NAL, to replace its ageing German Dornier fleet, beginning next decade.
IAF currently uses the Dornier 228 built by India’s state-run aircraft maker Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, or HAL, under licence since the 1980s from Dornier Gmbh, a German plane maker that no longer exists. HAL is the only firm to make these planes in the world.
NAL, the designers of Saras, said for the first time in February that the 14-seat multi-role plane would cost Rs39.4 crore apiece, making it among the most costly plane in its class.
But the Saras plane, named after the Indian crane, is still under development—two prototypes are doing flight trials while one-third production-standard aircraft is being developed at NAL’s facility in Bangalore.
The IAF has placed an indent for its first lot of 15 planes with NAL for the aircraft to be made by a private partner, which NAL would identify by July, a person familiar with the development said. A final order and its cost would be decided after negotiations with the partner, said the person who did not want to be named, as he is not authorized to speak to the media.
An IAF spokesman said he could not confirm the development immediately. NAL director A.R. Upadhya declined comment.
29/05/08 K. Raghu/Livemint

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General May 2008, New May 2008