Latest news with #ALHs
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
HAL conducts extensive tests on Dhruv ALH to fix lingering flaws
NEW DELHI: Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has carried out extensive tests on the Dhruv advanced light helicopters in a maritime setting in an attempt to pinpoint and fix a lingering flaw in helicopters operated by the navy and coast guard that have been grounded for more than seven months following a fatal crash in Gujarat, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. The tests, carried out off the Visakhapatnam coast for two weeks, saw the ALH operate from warships in different weather conditions. (HT PHOTO) The tests, carried out off the Visakhapatnam coast for two weeks, saw the ALH operate from warships in different weather conditions, the officials said, asking not to be named. 'HAL has collected a lot of data during these trials. The data is being analysed at the Rotary Wing Research & Design Centre and the findings will be submitted to the defect investigation committee (DIC) by August-end,' said one of the officials cited above. The military's ALH fleet was grounded following a fatal coast guard crash at Porbandar in Gujarat on January 5, but the army and air force choppers were declared airworthy after comprehensive safety checks on May 1. HAL has instrumented two ALH's --- one each from the navy and coast guard --- to gather critical data on the performance of the helicopter's integrated dynamic system, including the transmission system, gearbox and rotor hub, as well as test the loads some systems can withstand in different operating conditions. The navy and the coast guard together operate around 30 ALHs, designed and developed by HAL. The 300 ALHs operated by the army and air force were cleared for flying duties based on the recommendations of the DIC. The problem with the navy and coast guard appears to be linked to sustained operations in a maritime environment, as previously reported by HT. 'HAL is trying to determine the exact problem and fix it. The DIC will scrutinise the data compiled by the Rotary Wing Research & Design Centre and recommend the next steps,' said a second official. The DIC consists of officials from the Bengaluru-based Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and HAL. HAL had earlier broadened the scope of the investigation by involving Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to perform fatigue testing of a critical part in the helicopter's transmission system to get to the bottom of the matter. This was after a high-powered panel found that a swashplate fracture caused the January 5 coast guard ALH crash in which two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed, but the reason for the breakdown of the critical component that compromised the ability of the pilots to control the helicopter's motion could not be determined. A fleet-wide inspection conducted after the January 5 crash revealed that some navy and coast guard ALHs were facing the same problem --- cracks in the swashplate assembly. HT was the first to report that a detailed analysis by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru, pointed to a swashplate assembly failure. The ALH underwent a design review followed by a replacement of a defective control system only in 2023-24. The helicopter has been involved in around 15 accidents during the last five years, putting the spotlight on its safety record. The coast guard suspended ALH operations following an accident last September when a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar. Then too, two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed. The grounding was for a one-time check; the three services did not ground their fleets then. The coast guard cleared the helicopters for flying a few weeks later, after a safety inspection involving HAL, CEMILAC and all coast guard units. Last September's accident, too, came after the design review that culminated in a critical safety upgrade on the ALH fleet. It involved installing upgraded control systems on the helicopters to improve their airworthiness. The comprehensive design review came after the ALH fleet was grounded several times in 2023 too after a raft of accidents called into question its flight safety record.
Hindustan Times
25-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Fix eludes HAL on navy, coast guard Dhruvs
NEW DELHI: Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is struggling to pinpoint and fix a lingering flaw in the Dhruv advanced light helicopters operated by the navy and coast guard, and a question mark hangs over when will the locally produced choppers --- grounded for almost six months now --- return to service, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday. Fix eludes HAL on navy, coast guard Dhruvs The military's advanced light helicopter (ALH) fleet was grounded following a fatal coast guard crash at Porbandar in Gujarat on January 5, but the army and air force choppers were declared airworthy after comprehensive safety checks on May 1. HAL has instrumented two ALHs --- one each from the navy and coast guard --- to gather critical data on the performance of the helicopter's integrated dynamic system, including the transmission system, gearbox and rotor hub, as well as test the loads some systems can withstand in different operating conditions, said one of the officials cited above, who asked not to be named. 'The data will be thoroughly analysed to determine the root cause of the problem that appears to be linked to sustained operations in a saline environment. There are no issues with the army and air force ALHs,' the official said. The navy and the coast guard together operate around 30 ALHs, designed and developed by HAL. The 300 ALHs operated by the army and air force were cleared for flying duties based on the recommendations of the defect investigation committee (DIC). The data obtained from the two instrumented helicopters (fitted with gauges and sensors) will be compiled and analysed by July-end, said a second official, who also asked not to be named. 'That should help us identify the snag and fix it. HAL will then go back to the DIC with its findings to figure out the next steps,' he added. The DIC consists of officials from the Bengaluru-based Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and HAL. HAL had earlier broadened the scope of the investigation by involving Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to perform fatigue testing of a critical part (swashplate) in the helicopter's transmission system to get to the bottom of the matter. This was after a high-powered panel found that a swashplate fracture caused the January 5 coast guard ALH crash in which two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed. But the reason for the breakdown of the critical component that compromised the ability of the pilots to control the helicopter could not be determined. A fleet-wide inspection conducted after the January 5 crash revealed that some navy and coast guard ALHs were facing the same problem --- cracks in the swashplate assembly. HT was the first to report that a detailed analysis by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru, pointed to a swashplate assembly failure. The ALH underwent a design review followed by a replacement of a defective control system only in 2023-24. The helicopter has been involved in around 15 accidents during the last five years, putting its safety record in the spotlight. The coast guard suspended ALH operations following an accident last September when a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar. Then too, two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed. The grounding was for a one-time check; the three services did not ground their fleets then. The coast guard cleared the helicopters for flying a few weeks later, after a safety inspection involving HAL, CEMILAC and all coast guard units. Last September's accident, too, came after the design review that culminated in a critical safety upgrade on the ALH fleet. It involved installing upgraded control systems on the helicopters to improve their airworthiness. The comprehensive design review came after the ALH fleet was grounded several times in 2023 too after a raft of accidents called into question its flight safety record.
Time of India
10-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
After Dhruv ALH, Prachand copters cleared for flying
NEW DELHI: The Prachand light combat helicopters have now also been cleared for flying after the Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALHs) last month. Both the Dhruv and Prachand choppers were grounded after an ALH crash killed two Coast Guard pilots and an aircrew diver in Porbandar on Jan 5. The choppers - manufactured by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) - were cleared for operations after "some components" were replaced based on the recommendations by a defect investigation committee, an officer said on Tuesday. The Army, which has a fleet of over 180 ALHs, including 60 weaponised versions called 'Rudra', was the most affected by the grounding. Indian Air Force , in turn, has 75 ALHs, while the Navy has 24 and the Coast Guard has 19. The number of Prachand helicopters, in turn, is just 10 in the IAF and five in the Army at present. In March, the defence ministry had inked a mega Rs 62,700 crore contract for 156 such choppers from HAL. The Army will get 90 of them, the IAF 66.
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Army, IAF to fly Dhruv again after crash probe
BENGALURU: The Army and Air Force variants of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv have been cleared for operations, nearly four months after the entire fleet was grounded following a fatal crash in January. In an official press release issued by the HAL on Thursday, the clearance was granted based on the recommendations of the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee, which looked into the cause of the January 5 crash in Porbandar. 'A time-bound plan for the phased resumption of flying has been worked out with the users,' the release said. This clearance applies only to the Army and Air Force variants for now. The crash on January 5 involved an ALH Mark-III of the Indian Coast Guard, killing all three crew members during a training sortie. Following the incident, all 330 ALHs in service with the armed forces were grounded as a safety precaution. Investigators had found that the chopper had failed to respond to pilot inputs in its final few seconds. The root cause was identified as a fracture in the swashplate assembly, a critical part in the helicopter's transmission system. HAL officials had also suspected that a rare material failure may have led to the malfunction. Though the Army and Air Force variants have now been cleared, the advisory to civilian operators remains. HAL has asked them to keep their ALH Mark-III helicopters grounded until the investigation into the Porbandar crash is fully completed.
Hindustan Times
02-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Army, IAF Dhruv choppers cleared for flying
Srinagar: The army and the air force's Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) fleets, grounded nearly four months ago following a fatal coast guard crash in Gujarat, have been declared airworthy, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said on Thursday. The navy and coast guard's ALHs are still grounded. The development comes at a critical moment as the Indian military readies plans to respond to Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. 'The Dhruv ALH army and IAF versions are cleared for operations based on the recommendations of the defect investigation committee recommendations,' the state-run plane maker said. A time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users, it added. Before the clearance came, the army had already begun flying its ALHs in Jammu and Kashmir to address urgent operational needs a day after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people. HT had reported on April 2 that investigators were struggling to determine the root cause of the January 5 accident in which two coast guard pilots and an aircrew diver were killed. A high-powered panel earlier found that a swashplate fracture caused the coast guard ALH crash at Porbandar in Gujarat on January 5. The reason for the breakdown of the critical component, which compromised the ability of the pilots to control the helicopter's motion, was not immediately known. Earlier HAL, which has designed and developed the ALH, involved Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Science (IISc) to perform fatigue testing of a critical part in the twin-engine helicopter's transmission system to get to the bottom of the matter. The prolonged grounding of the workhorse fleet was a setback for the three services and the coast guard, which together operate around 330 ALHs. A fleet-wide inspection conducted after the January 5 crash revealed that some navy and coast guard ALHs were facing the same problem --- cracks in the swashplate assembly --- and this could be linked to sustained operations in a saline environment. HT was the first to report on February 4 that a detailed analysis by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL), Bengaluru, pointed to a swashplate assembly failure. The ALH underwent a design review followed by a replacement of a defective control system only in 2023-24. The helicopter has been involved in around 15 accidents during the last five years, putting the spotlight on its safety record. The coast guard suspended ALH operations following an accident last September when a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar. Then too, two pilots and an aircrew diver were killed. The grounding was for a one-time check. The three services did not ground their fleets then. Last September's accident, too, came after the design review that culminated in a critical safety upgrade on the ALH fleet, initiated by HAL. It involved installing upgraded control systems on the helicopters to improve their airworthiness. The comprehensive design review came after the ALH fleet was grounded several times in 2023 too after a raft of accidents called into question its flight safety record.
