The Hindu : National : Need for new aircraft stressed

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Friday, Nov 23, 2007
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National

Need for new aircraft stressed

Special Correspondent

It should land in all weather conditions
Studies carried out at the National Aerospace Lab

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: India must take up the development of a new generation regional transport aircraft, says Kota Harinarayana, who for many years headed the country’s prestigious Light Combat Aircraft project.

Delivering the keynote address at a Symposium on Applied Aerodynamics and Design of Aerospace Vehicles here on Thursday, Dr. Harinarayana said a proposal to build a 70-seater passenger aircraft was among the science mega-projects for the Eleventh Plan. It was estimated that India alone would need 400 aircraft of the ATR-42 and ATR-72 class over the next 20 years while Asia and the Middle East together might require some 5,700 such aircraft during the same period.

While the technology that went into large passenger jets had advanced swiftly, the technology for smaller aircraft had not changed over the last two decades. As a result, the current generation of regional transport aircraft was expensive to buy, operate and maintain, said Dr. Harinarayana, currently Raja Ramanna Fellow at the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in Bangalore.

The next generation regional transport aircraft must aim at being 25 per cent cheaper to acquire and operate, cut fuel consumption by 20 per cent and halve maintenance costs. The aircraft should be able to land in all weather conditions on semi-prepared runways.

Dr. Harinarayana identified wing design and coatings for smoother air flow, improved turboprop engines, fly-by-wire systems to control the aircraft and GPS-based onboard navigation and landing aids as some of the important technologies that would be needed for the aircraft.

Some concept studies for a 70-seater regional transport aircraft had been carried out at NAL. The basic design could be stretched to accommodate 90 passengers or downsized to carry 50 people, he added.

Pratt & Whitney, a leading aircraft engine manufacturer, had indicated that current turboprop engines, where a turbine drives propellers, could be considerably improved, Dr. Harinarayana said. Speaking to reporters, he said a joint-development, joint-funding approach between Pratt & Whitney, Indian industry and research institutions could be taken. Several Indian industries had shown interest in participating in the development and production of the aircraft, he added.

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