Bangalore: The limelight at Aero India, which concluded recently in Bangalore, was hogged by the Tejas, India’s indigenous light combat aircraft. Tucked away in a corner of the biennial show was Mahindra Aerospace, the aviation arm of Mahindra & Mahindra. It had on display two small aircraft — the GA8 and TC-320 Airvan — which it makes in Australia. It didn’t catch much attention. But two years later, in the next edition of Aero India, Mahindra Aerospace intends to make heads turn with the first aircraft designed and fabricated in India by the private sector.
The NM5, a five-seat aircraft, is being developed by Mahindra Aerospace in collaboration with Bangalore-based and state-owned National Aerospace Laboratories. The aircraft is actually expected to be ready by April next year, several months before Aero India. Much of the details are still under wraps. And nobody can tell whether or not the NM5 will be a commercial success. Still, Mahindra Aerospace has begun to think of the next logical possibilities.
Mahindra Aerospace wants to participate in India’s ambitious Rs 4,000-crore regional transport aircraft (RTA) project. “Will the government invite us to make the aircraft in collaboration with NAL? I think it should. We are more capable that anybody else, other than (state-owned) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd,” says Mahindra Systech (a conglomeration of 18 Mahindra & Mahindra ventures including aviation) President Hemant Luthra with a cocky air. His vision is to make Mahindra Aerospace the Embraer of India — no less!
Will it get there? “Mahindra Aerospace plans to produce aircraft of up to 20 seats,” says Kota Harinarayana, former head of the Tejas project. Comparing its aviation strategy with the Tata group, he adds: “Tata is focused on the production of components and subsystems and has no plan to manufacture the full aircraft.” Nobody thinks it’ll be easy.
05/03/11 Bibhu Ranjan Mishra/Business Standard
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