National Aerospace Laboratories

National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL), is India's second largest aerospace firm after Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). It was established by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) at Delhi in 1959 and its headquarters was later moved to Bangalore in 1960. The firm closely operates with HAL, DRDO and ISRO and has the prime responsibility of developing civilian aircraft in India.CSIR-NAL mandate is to develop aerospace technologies with strong science content, design and build small and medium-sized civil aircraft, and support all national aerospace programmes.

NAL is a high technology oriented institution concentrating on advanced topics in the aerospace and related disciplines. Originally started as National Aeronautical Laboratory, it was renamed National Aerospace Laboratories to reflect its major involvement in the Indian space programme, its multidisciplinary activities and global positioning. It is India’s only civilian aerospace laboratory with a high level of competence and the expertise of its scientists is globally acknowledged.

NAL employs a staff of about 1,300 with about 350 full-fledged R&D professionals. NAL is equipped with facilities such as the Nilakantan Wind tunnel Centre and a computerised fatigue test facility. NAL also has facilities for investigating failures and accidents in aerospace.

The story of CSIR-NAL began on 1 June 1959, when the National Aeronautical Research Laboratory (NARL) was set up in Delhi, with Dr P Nilakantan as its first Director. Barely nine months later, in March 1960, it made its humble beginning by setting up its office in the stables of the Palace of Maharaja of Mysore on Jayamahal Road, Bangalore as National Aeronautical Laboratory(NAL). The first Executive Council was chaired by JRD Tata and was studded with luminaries such as Prof Satish Dhawan and the legendary designer Dr V M Ghatage. Originally started as National Aeronautical Laboratory, it was renamed National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) in April 1993 to reflect its growing involvement in the Indian space programme, its multidisciplinary activities and global position.

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