The Kanpur division of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), prominently involved in manufacturing Dornier aircraft, will start building multi-role aircraft for armed forces and private carriers.
It would be an improvised version of AN-32 aircraft and would serve roles for executive transport, light package carrier, remote sensing and aerial research service, Coast Guard, border patrolling, air ambulance and other community services.
Wing Commander Arun Kumar Sinha, spokesperson at HAL-Kanpur, said the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) had proposed to produce the aircraft at HAL-Kanpur, based on the expertise of the centre in manufacturing similar aircraft in the past.
“The production of the aircraft is expected to happen at HAL-Kanpur that has expertise in manufacturing Dornier (Do) 228, a similar aircraft presently used by the Indian Air Force for a variety of roles,” Sinha told Business Standard. The proposed aircraft will be a 100-seater, capable of carrying a weight of up to 1,500 Kgs, and will be manufactured with technical assistance from Russia.
The transport aircraft section of HAL-Kanpur will also renovate the present model of Turbo prop trainer aircraft, used widely for pilot training across the country.
The division received orders worth Rs 7,600 crore, sufficient to engage the present resources for next six-seven years. HAL has been able to raise its sales to Rs 515 crore, with a net profit of Rs 111 crore (pre-tax).