The Hindu : Opinion / Editorials : THE FLIGHT OF SARAS

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Monday, May 31, 2004

Opinion

Opinion - Editorials

THE FLIGHT OF SARAS

SARAS, THE FIRST civilian passenger aircraft to be designed and developed in the country, has spread its wings and taken to the air. The 14-seater aircraft (extendable to 18 seats) is named after the Indian crane, possibly in the hope that it will emulate the bird's beauty and grace. The aircraft is designed to provide modern levels of passenger comfort and safety while being able to take off and land from short, semi-prepared runways. Its primary role will be as a feeder airline and air taxi, carrying passengers and cargo from small towns and less accessible places to the bigger cities. It can also serve as air ambulance, executive transport and in certain defence roles (such as coastal patrolling). The twin rear-mounted engines, with their five-blade propellers facing aft in a `pusher' configuration, give the aircraft a distinctive appearance. This configuration is said to reduce cabin noise and make for smoother wind flow over the wings. According to the Bangalore-based National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), which is developing Saras, market surveys have shown there is a domestic demand for over 200 such aircraft for the period up to 2015.

Saras has been a long time in the making. A study by NAL in the mid-1980s revealed there were many unused airfields in the country that could be opened for air travel and transportation if a small, rugged passenger aircraft became available. The design for a multi-role Light Transport Aircraft took shape in the early 1990s. Then NAL tied up with the Myasishchev Design Bureau of Russia jointly to develop the aircraft. That partnership broke up in the mid-1990s; according to NAL, the Russians could not come up with their share of the funding. In September 1999, Saras became a national programme. The Union Government cleared the project for a total cost of Rs. 131.38 crores, with financial contributions from the Technology Development Board, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. The post-Pokhran trade sanctions imposed by the United States increased costs and delayed the Saras programme. (NAL was listed as one of the banned entities.) The first prototype ultimately rolled out on February 4, 2003 and the aircraft took off on May 29 when it flew for half an hour.

There are disquieting reports that the aircraft has greatly exceeded its intended weight, reducing the payload (passengers plus cargo) it can carry and the range. A news agency has reported that the prototype was 900 kg heavier than expected; that comes to three-fourths of the maximum payload of 1,200 kg the aircraft ought to be able to carry. Moreover, while the then Union Minister for Science & Technology, Murli Manohar Joshi, stated in Parliament in February 2001 that Saras would be able to fly 1,200 km with 14 passengers, the aircraft's brochure on the NAL website puts its maximum range with that many passengers at 400 km. Weight reduction therefore has to be top priority. This and any other technical issue thrown up during flight trials will have to be resolved before the aircraft is ready for certification by the Director General of Civil Aviation, possibly in about three years' time. Saras will then face the challenge of succeeding in the marketplace of civil aviation, withstanding cut-throat competition from aircraft manufacturers abroad. "SARAS will usher in a vibrant civil aircraft industry in the country in the coming years," claims an NAL brochure. There is a long way to go to reach that goal.

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