DRDO Dornier Do-228 FTB photo:DRDO Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) handed over a modified Dornier Do-228 aircraft to Indian Defence ...
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| DRDO Dornier Do-228 FTB photo:DRDO |
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) handed over a modified Dornier Do-228 aircraft to Indian Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) in a ceremony held at HAL Kanpur on 1st May 2014.
The modified Dornier Do-228 named "NABHRATHNA” will acts as airborne Flying Test Bed (FTB) for testing airborne radars and aerospace systems which require flight testing for certification.
The aircraft will be operated by LRDE, a premier DRDO lab known for design, development and leading to indigenous radars.
The aircraft fullfiled a long felt need to have a flying test bed for testing the airborne radars and aerospace systems developed by DRDO, which earlier had to loan it from Navy and Air Force. DRDO has lined up a lot of systems under development such as Maritime Patrol Radar, Synthetic Aperture Radar, Data-link, Electro-optics and EW systems for testing.
Moreover the FTB aircraft will reduce the cycle time for development for such airborne system.
The contract for delivery of the modified Dornier, aircraft was signed last year, and was delivered 6 month ahead of schedule.
Currently, the Centre for Airborne Systems, another DRDO lab, operates an Avro HS-748 for limited tests. The Multi-Mode Radar for the indigenous Light Combat Aircraft Tejus, was flight tested extensively on the HS-748 flight test bed.
HAL Do-228 is a twin turbo-prop, light transport aircraft manufactured under license from M/s. Dornier GmbH of Germany.
The aircraft, originally designed, developed and manufactured by Dornier in Germany is presently manufactured only by HAL.
HAL now has world-wide marketing rights for HAL-Dornier-228 and can extend logistics / spares support throughout the operating life of aircraft.
