The project was conceived in the 1980s and sanctioned in 1999.
It is the brainchild of NAL, Bangalore.
The light transport aircraft, with rear mounted twin turboprop engines, has been built over a period of five years, costing Rs 158 crore with 70 per cent indigenisation.
The 14-seater can serve as an air taxi or ambulance; as air bridge to the Northeast and inaccessible regions, as cargo, transport or surveillance mechanism for the Coast Guard and the armed forces.
A service crew stands before Saras on the tarmac of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited airport in Bangalore.
Also See: At the Gates of Glory