The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bangalore, has entered into the country's first public-private JV in aircraft design with Mahindra and Mahindra (M&M) to produce General Aviation Aircraft, a NAL official said.
The process for the design and development of the four to five-seater aircraft with Mahindra Aerospace Ltd (MAL) is on the anvil, NAL Director A R Upadhya told reporters here yesterday.
"If everything goes in the right direction, probably the first test flight will be held during the end of next year," he said.
As part of its 11th Five-Year-Plan and after the successes of HANSA and SARAS, the NAL is contemplating to develop two new civil aircraft — a four to five seater and a 70 seater, he added.
The NM5-100 General Aviation Aircraft (GAA), four to five seater is being jointly developed by NAL and Mahindra Aerospace, he added.The 70-seater Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA-70) will be the first of a family of new generation RTA.
Upadhya said a 50-90 seater Turboprop and turbetan family has been proposed in a PPP mode.
NAL now has a whole range of new aircraft, from small composite aircraft (HANSA) to advanced Jet Fighters (TEJAS) and IJT of HAL and civil transports (SARAS) as well as helicopters (DHRUV) that are being designed and built in the country, he said.Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) will probably change the face of air defence in the decades to come.
