NAL Saras - Design and Development

Design and Development

In mid 1980s, Research Council recommended that NAL should study the civil aviation requirements of India and recommended ways and means of establishing a viable civil aviation industry. It further recommended that NAL should carryout a formal techno economical feasibility study of a multi role Light Transport Aircraft (LTA – renamed SARAS in October 1993). The feasibility study (November 1989) showed that there was a significant demand for a 9-14 seat multi-role LTA in the country and estimated a market potential of about 250-350 aircraft in the next 10 years. NAL submitted the feasibility study report to RC in November 1990 and started its search for an industrial partner.

The project began in 1991 as a collaboration with Russia (Myasishchev had a similar project called the Duet), but financial trouble led the Russians to drop out early in the project. The project almost came to a halt when it was hit by US-imposed sanctions in 1998, after India's nuclear tests in Pokhran.The project of ‘Saras’ was sanctioned on September 24 1999 with initial schedule of its maiden flight by March 2001.

The original design target parameters included a maximum take-off weight of 6,100 kg and a maximum payload of 1,232 kg, a high cruise speed of over 600 km/h, an endurance of six hours, a maximum flight altitude of 12 km (cruise altitude 10.5 km), short take-off and landing distances of about 600 m, the maximum rate of climb of 12 m/sec, a low cabin noise of 78 dB, a range of 600 km with 19 passengers, 1,200 km with 14 passengers and 2,000 km with eight passengers, a high `specific range' of 2.5 km/kg and a low cost of operation of Rs.5/km.

The first Saras (PT1) completed its maiden flight at the HAL airport in Bangalore on 29 May 2004.

While the designed empty weight of the aircraft is around 4,125 kg, the first prototype weighed in around 5,118 kg.This issue is sought to be addressed by including composite wings and tail by the third prototype. The airframe of Saras-PT2 was built with lighter composites to reduce its overall weight by about 400 kg from its first prototype, which was overweight by about 900 kg. The aircraft is powered by two Canadian Pratt & Whitney turbo-prop engines.