The Hindu Business Line : Saras makes 2nd successful flight

Named after the graceful Indian crane, the first prototype of the turboprop flew for 20-minutes, the same duration that it did on May 29 from the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd airport here. It was powered by two Pratt & Whitney engines.

The $1.5-billion Saras project has been under development for a decade now with aid from the Technology Development Board of the Department of Science & Technology. The 14-seater is designed and developed by the National Aerospace Labs. It will be manufactured by HAL once the aircraft gets airworthiness approvals from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

A reticent National Aeronautics Ltd (NAL) Director, Dr B.R. Pai, merely said today's test was a "good flight."

The aircraft is targeted for both defence and civilian use, especially as an answer to the transportation needs in far-flung areas of the North-East. Air Chief Marshall S. Krishnaswamy recently said IAF had plans to induct seven to eight Saras craft for training its pilots by 2006-07.

NAL scientists said Saras would have to undergo weight reduction and many more tests before it could be posed for flight approval of the domestic, EU and US agencies.