The Aerodynamics Panel was constituted in 1971 for promoting research and development activities in the field of Aerodynamics. Since its inception, the Panel has made significant contributions to the growth of Aerodynamics discipline in the country through evaluation, sponsorship and review of projects in several areas like creation of new test facilities, augmentation of existing facilities, experimental techniques and investigations, computational fluid dynamics, flight mechanics, design related activities, flight test support and analysis, educational support in aerodynamics, etc. application oriented work as well as basic investigations have been funded.

The Panel has always believed that a proper mix of both basic and applied research is important for the growth of a discipline like aerodynamics, where some fundamental questions still remain in spite of the very successful application of the present knowledge to a variety of flying machines. Nurturing of existing R&D groups in aerodynamics at different places in the country is one of the significant achievements of the policy of positive support provided by the Panel since its inception. This has proved to be of immense benefit to all the national aerospace projects that have been taken up in the country over the last 10 to 15 years.