INDIA. Mumbai: The Bengaluru-headquartered Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has successfully carried out the Ground Run and Low-Speed Taxi Trials (LSTT) of the “made in India” Hindustan-228 (VT-KNR) civil aircraft for DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) ‘Type Certification’.
The event was part of 75th Independence Day celebrations at HAL’s Kanpur facility on Sunday, HAL Chief of Media Communications Gopal Sutar said in a statement issued on Monday.
“This is a major milestone for the first fixed-wing Made-in-India civil aircraft in India.It is a step forward towards strengthening regional air connectivity”, HAL’s CEO Sajal Prakash said. The type certification will also enable HAL to get the international certification for the aircraft. The aircraft complies with the latest “FAR 23 certification” requirements, DGCA Director Indranil Chakraborty said.
HAL’s Transport Aircraft Division, Kanpur, has been in the business of transport and trainer aircraft for defence customers. The Division has ventured into the manufacturing of Hindustan-228 aircraft to support the Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) of the Government of India.
“This aircraft could be utilized successfully by civil operators and State Governments for their intra- and inter-state connectivity with seamless support towards training, maintenance, and logistics”, the statement said. The Hindustan-228 is a 19-seat multirole utility aircraft built for various applications such as VIP transport, passenger transport, air ambulance, flight inspection roles, cloud seeding, and recreational activities like Para jumping, aerial surveillance, photography, and cargo applications”, according to HAL’s statement.
The Company which had its origin as Hindustan Aircraft Limited was incorporated on December 23, 1940 at Bangalore by Walchand Hirachand, a farsighted visionary, in association with the then Government of Mysore, with the aim of manufacturing aircraft in India. In March 1941, the Government of India became one of the shareholders in the Company and subsequently took over its management in 1942. In collaboration with the Intercontinental Aircraft Company of USA, the Company commenced its business of manufacturing of Harlow Trainer, Curtiss Hawk Fighter and Vultee Bomber Aircraft. HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world today.
In January 1951, Hindustan Aircraft Limited was placed under the administrative control of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. The Company has built aircraft and engines of foreign design under licence, such as Prentice, Vampire & Gnat. It also undertook the design and development of aircraft indigenously.