The Denel SARA (Small African Regional Aircraft) is a projected 24-passenger
turboprop
A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller.
A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
regional airliner
A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...
with rough field capabilities. The project was announced at the
Africa Aerospace and Defence exhibition in September 2014, by the state-owned defence industrial group
Denel
Denel SOC Ltd is a South African state-owned aerospace and military technology conglomerate established in 1992. It was created when the manufacturing subsidiaries of Armscor were split off in order for Armscor to become the procurement agency ...
. The project has a goal of permitting landings at fields with runways shorter than 1,000m, of which there are more than 460 in South Africa alone.
Design and development
The SARA project originated in 2012 when a SARA Steering Committee, co-chaired by the CEOs of Denel Aerostructures SOC Ltd and Denel Aviation, was set up. Various options were considered. A high wing configuration was selected for SARA to meet the issue of
foreign object debris, for example stones thrown up by the propellers during landing, taking off and taxiing.
SARA will have a degree of
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft that can takeoff/land on short runways. Many STOL-designed aircraft can operate on airstrips with harsh conditions (such as high altitude or ice). STOL aircraft, including tho ...
capability, but will not be optimised for STOL operations as it affects other performance parameters negatively. It will be certified under Part 25 of the US
Federal Aviation Regulations
The Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs comprise Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). A wide var ...
(FAR 25) with up to 24 seats. It is now in a concept design phase based on market research.
Three versions of the SARA are planned – an airliner version with 24 passengers; a combi version able to carry 12 passengers and one
LD2 cargo pallet; and a freight version able to transport three LD2 pallets.
It is planned to have a
maximum takeoff weight
The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft, also known as the maximum structural takeoff weight or maximum structural takeoff mass, is the maximum weight at which the p ...
of and a pressurised cabin.
Preliminary and detailed design stages are still to come with no final design yet. Denel is currently building a full-size mock-up of the SARA to be used as a test rig to check the ease of ingress and egress of passengers; seating layouts; internal cabin arrangements; basic cockpit arrangements; and other parameters. The development phase was expected to last five years, with a prototype aircraft to be manufactured by 2020 or 2021. However, as of late 2021, no prototype has been publicly reported and Denel is reported lack capital to continue full operations.
References
External links
* http://www.defenceweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=36331:denel-promotes-new-regional-aircraft-&catid=35:Aerospace&Itemid=107
* http://www.africanaerospace.aero/aad-denel-announces-launch-of-indigenous-south-african-regional-aircraft-sara.html
Denel Launches Regional Airliner Project
{{Atlas/Denel aircraft
SARA
Sara may refer to:
People
* Sara (given name), a feminine given name
People with the given name
* Sara Aboobacker (1936–2023), Indian writer and translator
* Sara Ahmed (born 1969), British-Australian writer
* Sara Allgood (1880–1950), Ir ...
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