Union Minister of State for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated SARAS Mk II Iron Bird Test Facility, HAP Airframe Fabrication Facility, NAviMet and Unveiled Hansa-3 (NG) Production Standard Aircraft at CSIR-NAL campus in Bengaluru today. The Minister also exchanged Collaboration Agreement for Loitering Munitions UAV development

Addressing the gathering, Dr.Jitendra Singh, lauded the efforts of scientists for successful demonstration and commercialization of indigenous Hansa-3(NG) with an industry partner M/s Pioneer Clean Amps Pvt. Ltd (PCA) during April 2025 at New Delhi. He stated that the aircraft will satisfy the requirements of flying clubs for obtaining PPL (Personal Pilot License) & CPL (Commercial Pilot License) by young generation. “As per recent reports, India will need 30,000 pilots over the next 15-20 years up from the current 6,000-7,000 pilots, given that Indian airliners cumulatively have over 1,700 aircraft on order. Our industry partner M/s PCA will be setting-up the manufacturing facility at Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh. The facility will manufacture 70 to 100 aircraft annually and employ about 250 people. This is the best example of “Atmanirbhar Bharat”. I am sure that this collaboration will accelerate the indigenous aircraft manufacturing, making the Hansa-NG competitive on the global platform as it signals India’s growing capabilities of aerospace manufacturing ecosystem.”

Speaking on Iron Bird Facility for the Saras Mk-2 aircraft, he said this facility will provide a comprehensive, ground-based testing platform for integrating and validating all major aircraft systems. By identifying and resolving potential problems on the ground, the facility will help to significantly lower the risks and costs associated with the actual flight testing, enhancing safety and reliability, the Minister noted.

Speaking on NAviMet (National Aerospace Laboratories Aviation Meteorological), the Minister stated that CSIR-NAL’s indigenous, innovative, comprehensive weather monitoring system developed will aid to measure many crucial weather parameters, namely, Visibility, Temperature, Humidity, Present Weather, Pressure, Wind Speed & Direction, etc., at the airports. He further said that the first NAviMet system installed at HAL’s Helicopter Manufacturing Facility at Tumakuru was inaugurated in 2022 by the Hon’ble Prime Minister. “I am proud to inaugurate the second system at HAL Airport in Bengaluru Today”, Dr. Jitendra Singh said.

 

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