News:National Aerospace Laboratory has said that the Government of India should buy at least 50-60 Saras Mk2 aircraft to make production commercially viable.
Facts:
About Saras Mk2 aircraft:
- Saras Mk2 is the first Indian multi-purpose civilian aircraft.It is designed by the National Aerospace Laboratories(NAL).
- The project was started in 1991 and the first prototype was introduced in 2004.However,the project was scrapped after the aircraft crashed in 2009.
- In 2017,the project was again revived.The upgraded SARAS PT1N completed its test flight in 2018.
Features of the aircraft:
- The aircraft falls in the light transport aircraft category.It is capable of executing both day and night missions.
- It can be used for transporting civilians, freight and in remote sensing exercises.
- It can take off and land from semi-prepared airfields and even on grass runways.
- The aircraft has been designed to travel at 425 km/h and it has a maximum continuous flight time of around five hours.
