India To Develop 'E-HANSA' Indigenous Electric Trainer Aircraft: Dr Jitendra Singh

India has begun work on E-Hansa, a next-generation two-seater electric trainer aircraft, marking a major step toward greener and more cost-effective aviation solutions, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement.

Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh announced the project during a high-level monthly review meeting with top science department officials in Delhi.

Developed by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research – National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) in Bengaluru, E-Hansa is part of the larger HANSA-3 (Next Generation) trainer aircraft program. It is expected to cost around Rs 2 crore, roughly half the price of comparable imported trainer aircraft.

“It is a matter of pride that the new aircraft is being indigenously developed,” said Dr Jitendra Singh, underlining the importance of this initiative in advancing India’s green aviation goals and promoting the use of clean energy in aircraft.

The aircraft aims to provide a cost-effective training platform for Indian pilots, reducing dependency on foreign imports and strengthening the country’s aerospace self-reliance.

Singh directed the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) to adopt successful models like DBT-BIRAC and IN-SPACe to boost public-private partnerships.

“Private players should not just be knowledge partners, but also investment partners,” he said, proposing a hub-and-spoke PPP model supported by AI-driven technology transfer platforms.

The minister also emphasised the need for standardised tech transfer processes, improved ease of doing business, and international research collaborations.

Singh also noted growing international interest in establishing bilateral science collaboration centres, with countries such as Switzerland and Italy looking to develop partnerships modelled after the Indo-French and Indo-German Science Centres.

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