First test flight of Saras Mk2 plane expected in December 2027: official

The Saras MK2, an updated version of a civil plane designed by India, is scheduled to test in December 2027. Photo credit: Aerospace-National Laboratories CSIR

The Saras MK2, an updated version of a civil plane designed by India, is scheduled to test in December 2027, said Abhay Pashilkar, director of CSIR-NATIONAL AEROSPACE LABORATORIES (CSIR-NAL) The Hindu. Only after several flight tests, the plane can be declared sufficiently aircraft to be purchased potentially by the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has expressed interest in buying at least 15 of these planes.

However, the main tie of the MK2 Saras, if reliable, would be like a pin airplane and would work as a 19 -square plane that can transport people in Tovns and cities, where they are absent to large airports and the infrastructure of results. It can also be used as rented aircraft or air ambulances.

The MK2 plane is an improved version of the 14-seat Saras prototype aircraft that were developed by CSIR-NAL and flew for the first time in 2004. However, a fatal accident that killed three people of the IAF in 2009 duration a test flight derailed the progress. In 2016 alone, the result of the project revived the result was an important review, which includes the redesign of the plane’s wings, as well as the replacement of the engine. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, an agency of the public defense sector, will be involved in manufacturing.

In 2022, in the Wings India Air Show in Hyderabad, the then head of the CSIR, Shekhar Mande, said that the first flight would probably be in June 2024 and the production is expected to begin around 2026-27.

“There are some leg delays in the project. This was originally planned by 2026. We have bought most of the material. The drawings have to be released and only after that we can start manufacturing,” said Mr. Pashilkar.

“The wings and some of the compounds will be made internally. The metal pieces will be subcontract, perhaps some in Hal. We will need large suppliers to manufacture the fuselage,” he explained.

Two MK2 prototypes would be made to “accelerate” the certification process. Once developed, it would take approximately one year for the first flight, since they follow taxi tests, or land races at several speeds, said Pashilkar.

The plane, or electronic instrumentation in the cabin, will obtain a company called Genesis. However, separated from the basic plane, there are several systems that will depend on the internal “computer” developed in NAL.

Brake management and environmental control were also developed in the previous version of 14 places, or in the first saras, it would not fly, but it is being used as a “test bed” for future airplanes. The plane, called PT1N, was flown at the Aero India Show, Bengaluru, in 2019.

An aircraft that had several subcomponents had to meet the strict manufacturing requirement and meet the thesis regulatory processes, or that involve multiple government agencies aimed at delays in the scheduled tests of plans. Another important challenge was the availability of passionate certified pilots, added Pashilkar.