Saras completes second test flight successfully

The production model design is expected to be ready by June-July this year, the minister said, adding that the test flight, commanded by Wing Commander UP Singh, Group Captain RV Panicker and Group Captain KP Bhat of the Indian Air Force (Aircraft and System Testing Establishment), lasted 25 minutes.

The flight took off from the HAL's airport in Bangalore.

"This was the second of the 20 test flights planned for Saras PT1N, before freezing the production version...," he told reporters. The first successful test was carried out on January 24 this year.

The design and development of the aircraft is being done by the CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, he said, adding that the Indian Air Force has committed to induct 15 such aircraft initially, Vardhan said. The CSIR-NAL proposes to get the SARAS-Mk 2 version certified initially for military and subsequently for civil version, he said.

Saras will be 20 to 25 per cent cheaper than any imported aircraft in the same category and it will be a 19-seater aircraft instead of 14-seater, Vardhan said.

"The unit cost of the aircraft, with more than 70 per cent indigenous content, will be around Rs 40 to Rs 45 crore as against Rs 60 to Rs 70 crore for imported ones and has far more benefits than what the imported aircraft offers," he said.

The HAL has been identified as the production agency for the military version of Saras, while production of the civil version will be given to identified private industries.

"We are in talks with the Tatas, Mahindra and Reliance companies. We have not yet finalised any of the private companies. Soon we will do it," he said.