National Aerospace Laboratories

National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), a constituent of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), India, established in the year 1959 is the only government aerospace R&D laboratory in the country’s civilian sector. CSIR-NAL is a high-technology oriented institution focusing on advanced disciplines in aerospace. CSIR-NAL has several advanced test facilities, and many of them are recognized as National Facilities. These are not only the best in the country, but are also comparable to other similar facilities in the world. CSIR-NAL has provided significant value added inputs to all the Indian national aerospace programmes. Its contributions over the last five decades have enabled it to create a niche for itself in advanced aerospace research and technology development. CSIR-NAL has also developed many critical technologies for the strategic sector and continues to support the mission-mode programmes of the country.

About CSIR NAL
Established in 1959
First Director Dr. P Nilakantan
Current Director Jitendra J Jadhav
Location Banglore, Karnataka, India
Research Type Aerospace
Website Visit Official Website

Technologies Developed

The whole list of inventions by CSIR NAL is very long due to its several important inventions. The name of “National Aerospace Laboratories” is today included in important laboratories of CSIR. The discoveries and testing of CSIR NAL have also been appreciated by India’s former Science and Technology Minister - Dr. Harshwardhan.

  1. Tejas is a brave aircraft of the Indian Air Force. After 30 years of continuous research and experiment, CSIRNAL has played a significant role in developing modern-combat aircrafts like Tejas. The modernised Tejas is the lightest and smallest combat aircraft. Features like multi-mode radar, laser-guided bomb dropping and air-to-air missile attack bring Tejas at par with any modern combat aircraft.

  2. Saras is the first indigenously developed passenger aircraft for air travel in India. Flying since 29th May 2004 till now, Saras has proved to be a milestone in air travel. With the manufacturing of Saras, the country has not only moved towards self-dependence in air travel but also has saved “many crore dollars” of foreign currency.

  3. Hansa, a two-seater small aircraft, is very useful. This aircraft developed by NAL has proved its uses very soon. Because of technical capability and low-cost, it is high in demand in flying clubs, training institutes and hobby clubs.

  4. AutoClave is used to check any composite component in fixed temperature, fixed pressure and vacuum conditions. “Mark IV AutoClave” is the largest autoclave developed in India.

  5. Wind Tunnel is a very useful tool for checking aero-dynamic pressure. The part kept in the middle of the tunnel is tested under strong wind pressure. The sensors attached to it make accurate assessments of aerodynamic force, pressure distribution and other aerodynamic features being applied on an aircraft or any part of it. All these testings can be done at CSIR NAL itself.

  6. Drishti is a system developed by CSIR NAL which provides which accurate information of the runway to the pilot even in bad weather.

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Useful Links

  1. To Read about Reasearch :- Click Here
  2. To Read about Research Divisions :- Click Here
  3. To Read about Research Facilities :- Click Here

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