28-05-2025
E-Power To The Skies: India Embarks On Indigenous Electric Aircraft Project E-Hansa
In a significant step towards green flying and technological indigenisation, India is going to create 'E-Hansa', a two-seat domestic electric training aircraft, at a cost of Rs 2 crore, Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh informed on Tuesday. The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) located in Bengaluru will be responsible for the development of the aircraft. E-Hansa is part of the larger HANSA-3 Next Generation (NG) programme and is intended to be an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient pilot-training alternative.
"The E-Hansa will significantly cut costs compared to imported aircraft and is a proud symbol of India's push toward clean energy in aviation," Dr Singh told a high-level review meeting with science department secretaries.
"India has initiated the process to develop Electric Hansa (E-Hansa), a next-generation two-seater electric trainer Aircraft. The new aircraft will be indigenously developed by the #CSIR institute of "National Aerospace Laboratories" (NAL) Bengaluru. It is expected to cost… — Dr Jitendra Singh (@DrJitendraSingh) May 27, 2025
Emphasis On Indigenous Innovation And Public-Private Partnerships
The review meeting had deliberations on performance indicators, previous implementation choices, and strategic reforms in the science and technology field. Dr Singh underlined indigenous technologies' commercialisation and called for more robust public-private partnerships (PPP).
He instructed the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to incorporate models like DBT-BIRAC and IN-SPACe for effective transfer of technology and private sector participation. He emphasized standardised technology protocols, simplicity in doing business, and innovation under the global ethos of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam".
ISRO Commended For SPADEX And Operation Sindoor
Praising the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr Singh complimented recent success with the SPADEX mission, especially the docking and undocking technology, which will be crucial for the future Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.
He also praised the contribution of ISRO towards Operation Sindoor, saying, "Every Indian is proud of ISRO." ISRO is now working with 40 Union Ministries and 28 State Governments and has multiple space missions lined up.
India's International Footprint
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be representing India on the Axiom Space Mission, where he will have seven microgravity experiments on board the International Space Station (ISS)—a step that solidifies India's developing international footprint in space studies and international partnerships.
