BENGALURU: CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) rolled out its HANSA-NG (Next Generation) aircraft on Wednesday at the aircraft hangar at the Belur campus. Shekar C Mande, DG CSIR, held the ceremonial rolling out with R Madhavan, Chairman and Managing, HAL.
The all-composite HANSA-NG, certified in 2000 by the DGCA under the JAR-VLA category, has been revitalised to cater to the demand for trainer aircraft.
With the growing need for an advanced Swadeshi trainer aircraft, the government sanctioned the HANSA–NG project towards the end of 2018.
The trainer aircraft is equipped with IFR-compliant avionics with smart multi-functional displays, a glass cockpit and a bubble canopy design. The selection of a highly efficient digitally controlled Rotax 912 ISC engine with superior performance increased the range and endurance.
Approvals were obtained from DGCA and manufacturing of HANSA-NG was initiated in September 2020.
The Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Uran Akademi (IGRUA) signed an MoU with CSIR-NAL as a launch customer of HANSA-NG for pilot training. They will pick up the first five aircraft, said Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation Amber Dubey.
The Centre for Civil Aircraft Design and Development (C-CADD) at Bangalore’s National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), now renamed as Roddam Narasimha Civil Aircraft Centre (RN-CAC), was inaugurated on the occasion.
The centre is named after renowned Indian aerospace scientist and engineer Professor Roddam Narasimha who passed away in December 2020.
RN-CAC will create the essential nucleus and play the pivotal role in the Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) programme once the formal approval is received from the government.