National Aerospace Laboratories

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National Aerospace Laboratories
CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories Logo.png
Established1 June 1959 (1 June 1959)
Field of research
Aerospace
Director Abhay Pashilkar
Location Bangalore, India
Operating agency
 CSIR
Website nal.res.in

The National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) is India's first and largest aerospace research company established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Delhi in 1959. The company closely operates with HAL, DRDO, and ISRO and has the primary responsibility of developing civilian aircraft in India. It concentrates on research in advanced topics in aerospace and related disciplines.

Contents

Based in Bengaluru, the NAL employs a staff of about 2500 people.

NAL is equipped with the Nilakantan Wind tunnel Centre and a computerized fatigue test facility company. NAL also has facilities for investigating failures and accidents in the aerospace engineering domain.

History

On 1 June 1959, the National Aeronautical Research Laboratory (NARL) was set up in Delhi, with P Nilakantan as its first director. In March of 1960, it set up an office in the stables of the Palace of Maharaja of Mysore in the Indian state of Karnataka, on Jayamahal Road, Bangalore, as the National Aeronautical Laboratory (NAL). The first Executive Council was chaired by J. R. D. Tata. Its members included Satish Dhawan and the designer V M Ghatage. Originally started as the National Aeronautical Laboratory, it was renamed National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in April 1993. The renaming aimed to reflect its growing involvement in the Indian space program and its multidisciplinary activities.

Flosolver

Flosolver was a series of Indian supercomputers designed and assembled by the NAL. [1] [2] [3] Work began on the initial computer in 1986 to help with computational fluid dynamics. [1]

Current Projects

RTA-70 (Indian Regional Jet)

The HAL/NAL Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) or Indian Regional Jet (IRJ) is a regional airliner being designed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft is planned to be a turboprop or a jet with 80–100 passengers capacity. Its basic version will have 70–90 seats (RTA-70) [4] [5]

The 90-seater variant of the aircraft is being designed as of 2021 and is expected to enter service in 2026. [6]

Products

Aircraft

The maiden flight of CSIR-NAL's light trainer aircraft, now called Hansa, took place on 17 November 1993. The aircraft is an ab-initio two-seat, all-composite aircraft, certified by the DGCA in the year 2000 under JAR-VLA certification. DGCA has promoted the use of the Hansa-3 by various flying clubs; a total of fourteen aircraft are in operation. Thirteen aircraft are currently operational in India. Ten of these are with various flying clubs, and one is with IIT-Kanpur.

SARAS had its maiden flight on 29 May 2004. The aircraft took off at 08:15 and flew for about 25 minutes. SARAS is the first civilian aircraft designed and developed in India. Two prototypes have been built and flown (176 flights) by ASTE (IAF) flight crew. The third prototype aircraft (production standard) is under production at CSIR-NAL. Features include composite wing VERITy (Vacuum Enhanced Resin Infusion Technology), empennage, rear pressure bulkhead, front fuselage top skin, and control surfaces. The aircraft will be equipped with an all-glass cockpit, including EICAS and 3-axis autopilot (limited authority). It will be powered by 2x1200 SHP turboprop PT6A-67A engines (Pratt & Whitney) driving 5-blade MT-Propellers. SARAS is capable of flying up to 30,000ft (cabin altitude 8,000ft) and is capable of operation from short runways. Certification is in progress by CEMILAC and is to be completed by 2013. SARAS has been designed for many roles, including executive transport, light package carrier, remote sensing, air ambulance, etc.

The first flight of C-NM5 on 1 September 2011. The first flight of C-NM5 on sep 1,2011.jpg
The first flight of C-NM5 on 1 September 2011.

C-NM5 is the country's first public-private partnership (PPP) for the development of civil transport aircraft in collaboration with M/s Mahindra Aerospace Pvt Ltd (MAPL). On 1 September 2011, a milestone event for India's first public-private partnership in aircraft development and a bold dream became reality; C-NM5, designed & developed jointly by CSIR-NAL & Mahindra Aerospace, successfully undertook its first flight in Australia. C-NM5 is powered by a 300 HP piston engine driving a 3-blade propeller cruising at a speed of 160 knots with a maximum AUW (All Up Weight) of 1525 kg; a glass cockpit is a customer option. It is an ideal aircraft for air taxis, air ambulances, training, tourism, and cargo.

Unmanned aerial vehicles

Superalloy

GTM-900, an alpha-beta titanium alloy, was developed by Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory in collaboration with NAL, This collaboration aimed to produce a high-performance titanium alloy suitable for aerospace applications, particularly for gas turbine engines.It is ideal for components like low-pressure compressor blades in aircraft engines. [7] [8]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hindustan Aeronautics Limited</span> Indian public sector aerospace manufacturing company

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. HAL began aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force. HAL currently has 11 dedicated Research and development (R&D) centres and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production units spread across India. HAL is managed by a board of directors appointed by the President of India through the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. In 2024, the company was given Maharatna status. HAL is currently involved in designing and manufacturing of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engine and marine gas turbine engine, avionics, hardware development, spares supply, overhauling and upgrading of Indian military aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAL Saras</span> Indian airliner

The NAL Saras is the first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft in the light transport aircraft category as designed by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HAL Tejas</span> Indian lightweight multirole fighter

The HAL Tejas is an Indian single-engine, 4.5 generation, delta wing, multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy. Tejas made its first flight in 2001 and entered into service with the IAF in 2015. In 2003, the aircraft was officially named 'Tejas'. Currently Tejas is the smallest and lightest in its class of supersonic combat aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Council of Scientific and Industrial Research</span> Indian scientific research and development organization

The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research is a research and development (R&D) organisation in India to promote scientific, industrial and economic growth. Headquartered in New Delhi, it was established as an autonomous body in 1942 under the aegis of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India. CSIR is among the largest publicly funded R&D organisations in the world. CSIR has pioneered sustained contribution to science and technology (S&T) human resource development in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GippsAero</span> Australian aircraft manufacturer

GippsAero is an Australian aircraft manufacturer based at Latrobe Valley Airport in Morwell, Victoria. The company builds single-engined utility aircraft. These include the multi-role GA8 Airvan and the agricultural GA200 Fatman. In late 2020, brand owner Mahindra Aerospace announced plans to shut down GippsAero due to poor sales unless a buyer could be found. Its 2021 Board Report indicated that GippsAero Pty Ltd. had been converted into a Spares and Support Organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roddam Narasimha</span> Indian scientist (1933–2020)

Roddam Narasimha FRS was an Indian aerospace scientist and fluid dynamicist. He was a professor of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Science (1962–1999), director of the National Aerospace Laboratories (1984–1993) and the chairman of the Engineering Mechanics Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. He was the DST Year-of-Science Chair Professor at JNCASR and concurrently held the Pratt & Whitney Chair in Science and Engineering at the University of Hyderabad. Narasimha was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian award, in 2013 for his contributions to advance India's aerospace technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAL Hansa</span> Indian monoplane

The NAL Hansa is an Indian all-composite low wing tricycle gear two-seater general aviation monoplane. It is the first indigenously produced composite aircraft in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DRDO Lakshya</span> Indian target drone system

Lakshya is a remotely piloted high speed Indian target drone system developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO. A variant Lakshya-1 is used to perform discreet aerial reconnaissance of battlefield and target acquisition.

Defence Metallurgical Research Laboratory (DMRL) is a research laboratory of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). Located in Defence Research Complex, Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad. It is responsible for the development and manufacture of complex metals and materials required for modern warfare and weapon systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mishra Dhatu Nigam</span> Metallurgy industry

Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited is a metals and metal alloys manufacturing facility in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It operates as a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the administrative control of Department of Defence Production Ministry of Defence, Government of India. MIDHANI is the only producer of titanium in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NAL NM5</span>

NM5 or C-NM5 was an indian multi-role, multi-mission aircraft being jointly developed by National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) and Mahindra Aerospace. It is a 5-seater civil aircraft and an extension of the Hansa project. The NM5 was entirely designed and developed by NAL and Mahindra Aerospace on a 50:50 partnership basis. The NM5 can be used as a trainer, for transporting cargo, medical evacuation, tourism, VIP travel and for training pilots.

The HAL/NAL Regional Transport Aircraft (RTA) or Indian Regional Jet (IRJ) is a regional airliner being designed by India's National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), and to be manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The aircraft is planned to be a turboprop or a jet with a capacity of 80–100 passengers. Its basic version will have 80–90 seats (RTA-70) and the cost of the airliner will be 20 percent lower compared to its global competitors.

The Indian Air Force has been undergoing a modernization program to replace and upgrade outdated equipment since the late 1990s to meet modern standards. For that reason, it has started procuring and developing aircraft, weapons, associated technologies, and infrastructures. Some of these programs date back to the late 1980s. The primary focus of current modernization and upgrades is to replace aircraft purchased from the Soviet Union that currently form the backbone of the air force.

Mahindra Aerospace is an Indian aerospace company, part of the Mahindra Group. It is the first Indian private firm to make smaller civil aircraft for the Indian general aviation market. It is an AS9100 Rev.D certified design organization.

Supercomputing in India has a history going back to the 1980s. The Government of India created an indigenous development programme as they had difficulty purchasing foreign supercomputers. As of June 2023, the AIRAWAT supercomputer is the fastest supercomputer in India, having been ranked 75th fastest in the world in the TOP500 supercomputer list. AIRAWAT has been installed at the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) in Pune.

The Imperial Eagle is an Indian light-weight mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment, National Aerospace Laboratories and supported by private vendors. Its primary users will be the National Security Guard and the military services.

Sitaram Rao Valluri was an engineer and scientist noted for his work in metal fatigue. He completed his doctorate in 1954 at Caltech with a dissertation under Ernest Sechler and stayed thereafter to continue his research work. In 1963, he won the Wright Brothers Medal with George Bockrath and James Glassco for a paper on the relationship between crack propagation and fatigue in metals. He later returned to India and joined the Applied Mechanics Department of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras where he distinguished himself as a teacher, an outstanding researcher and a pre-eminent authority in the field of metal fatigue. He was invited to take over as the Director of National Aeronautical laboratory in Bangalore, later renamed as CSIR- National Aerospace Laboratories to succeed the first director Dr.P. Nilakantan. During his tenure for 19 years, he transformed NAL into a vibrant force in Indian Aeronautics. He was also instrumental in framing the new recruitment and assessment scheme of CSIR, popularly known as Valluri /Varadarajan Committee which recommended a new policy of recruitment and assessment in the CSIR laboratories in the year 1981. This was widely acknowledged as one of the most significant steps which led to the arrest of attrition of bright scientific personnel from advanced scientific institutions in India. He played a major role in the conception of the light combat aircraft (LCA) program in 1980s and briefly served as the first Director General of the Aeronautical Development Agency, Bangalore, the nodal agency for the design and development of LCA in 1985.

The NAL/ADE Golden Hawk is an unmanned Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) technology demonstrator developed jointly by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE) of DRDO and National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) of CSIR. It based on basic design of Shashank Misra and is one of the airframe designs being pursued for " National Program on Micro Air Vehicles" (NP-MICAV)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vishnu Madav Ghatage</span> Indian aeronautical engineer

Vishnu Madav Ghatage (1908–1991) was an Indian aeronautical engineer, known for his pioneering conceptual and engineering contributions to Indian aeronautics. He led the team which designed and developed HAL HT-2, the first Indian designed and built aircraft. He was honoured by the Government of India in 1965, with the award of Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian award for his services to the nation.

Tumkur Seetharamaiah Prahlad is an Indian aerospace scientist and the former director of the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), Bengaluru, known as a specialist in Aerodynamics and Aerospace Design. His contributions are reported in Indian civil aircraft development programmes of Hansa and NAL Saras and light combat aircraft development programme. The Government of India awarded him the civilian honour of the Padma Shri in 2004, The same year, he received the H. K. Firodia Award from H. K. Firodia Memorial Foundation.

References

  1. 1 2 Bhatkar, Vijay P. (1990). "Parallel computing : An Indian perspective". Conpar 90 — Vapp IV. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 457. pp. 10–25. doi:10.1007/3-540-53065-7_84. ISBN   978-3-540-53065-7 . Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  2. ↑ Sinha, UN (1997). "A Decade of Parallel Meteorological Computing on the Flosolver". In Hoffmann, Geerd-R (ed.). Making its mark : proceedings of the Seventh ECMWF Workshop on the Use of Parallel Processors in Meteorology, Reading, UK, November 2-6, 1996. World Scientific. pp. 449–460. OCLC   246121972 . Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Sinha, U. N. (November 1998). "On parallel computing — Indian trends". Resonance. 3 (11): 2–5. doi:10.1007/BF02838704. S2CID   119381130 . Retrieved 30 October 2020.
  4. ↑ Waldron2010-12-23T06:30:00+00:00, Greg. "India's regional aircraft could be a jet". Flight Global. Retrieved 17 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ "Ministry of Defence gives nod for proposal to produce Saras civil aircraft developed by NAL". United News of India. 21 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  6. ↑ "IIMB hosts International Conference on the Future of Aviation and Aerospace". India Education | Latest Education News | Global Educational News | Recent Educational News. 18 February 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  7. ↑ https://nopr.niscpr.res.in/bitstream/123456789/20553/1/IJEMS%209(5)%20351-358.pdf
  8. ↑ https://www.nal.res.in/en/publication/high-strain-rate-behavior-gtm-900-titanium-alloy
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