Aero Accessories and Systems to develop LRUs for military and commercial aviation

EXCLUSIVE

Filed at- 12:30pm IST

April 8, 2011

Neelam Mathews

Bangalore-based SATTVA Aero Accessories and Systems is entering into indigenous design, development and production of electrical motors, electrical generators, hydraulic systems and actuators for the aerospace industry.

Set up three former HAL executives, AASPL has delivered certified Main and Nose Landing Gear Actuators for the Light Transport Aircraft SARAS, FFF electrical generators of 5 kW and 20 kW for military aviation, 12 kW starter motor for civil aviation and Electro Mechanical Linear Actuator (EMLA) for surface actuation system designed and developed by the company.

“Our USP is development of line-replaceable units for the aerospace industry in India..We can also overhaul and maintain them,” says founder S.K.B Parekh who headed Quality, Design and Independent Business Unit of HAL Aircraft Accessories.

LRUs improve maintenance operations, because they can be stocked and replaced quickly from on-site inventory.

“We are going to offer defense offsets for product development and after-sales overhaul for suppliers,” Parekh explains.

AASPL, that unlike many SMEs in defense, is not seeking Foreign Direct Investment, has also proposed products to ISRO and is looking at entering into the arena of aircraft fuel booster pups and hydraulics.

“India’s inventory has 30-year old designed aircraft like the Mi17s and Chetaks for which technology is not fully available. We are initially looking at doing replacement of obsolete parts and then will view items required for new programs,” says Parekh.

Challenges remain. Orders are not easy to come by as the startup needs to establish its credentials in the market. But the HAL experience is bound to pay off as it reaches the final stages of  completing development for flight control systems and engine accessories for the old engine of Saras, the prototype of which will be ready in three months time.

Meanwhile, the company has established Assembly and Test facilities and is currently developing special purpose test facilities for its expanding range of products.