Latest news with #Dhruvs
Time of India
01-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
ALH Dhruv Army, IAF variants cleared to fly: HAL
File photo BENGALURU: Defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Thursday said Indian Army and Indian Air Force (IAF) variants of its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv 'have been cleared for operations' based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations. The entire Dhruv fleet across armed forces was grounded following the Jan 5 accident that killed three Coast Guard personnel. Clearance to operate Dhruvs assumes importance in the wake of the ongoing tension between India and Pakistan. HAL had in Feb defended ALH Dhruv and its CMD DK Sunil had insisted: 'Dhruv has more than 4 lakh flying hours collectively and there are no issues with its design or production.' He had noted that both Cemilac (India's military aircraft certifying agency) and an independent Dutch agency have attested to this. Regarding the Jan 5 accident, Sunil revealed preliminary investigation had found 'a fracture in the swashplate' and a defect inspection report was commissioned to find the facts. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Google Brain Co-Founder Andrew Ng, Recommends: Read These 5 Books And Turn Your Life Around Blinkist: Andrew Ng's Reading List Undo He had further said that of the 28 crashes involving Dhruv over 25 years, '13 were due to human error, two due to unknown causes and 13 more due to technical problems'. 'Wherever we've identified technical issues, those things have been addressed,' he had said. Last week, reports quoted the Indian Army to say that a 'partial clearance' was granted to operate a few Dhruv helicopters in the Kashmir valley. On Thursday, HAL said officially that both the Indian Army and IAF versions have been cleared for operations. '...A time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users,' HAL said Thursday. Earlier this month, the defence PSU had reiterated that it was working with all its customers including the IAF and was confident of handling the critical issues that are innate to the defence aeronautics and complex flying platforms. It was responding to what it termed 'speculative and biased' comments or stories across platforms.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Safety fears keep most of India's go-to military helicopters grounded
CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Following a fatal crash in January, India's entire fleet of Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters – ALH for short – remains grounded, but the military has allowed some to fly after a deadly terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 23. The Indian Army, Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard rely heavily on 330-plus of the rotorcraft workhorses in their fleets. No end to their prolonged suspension is in view while an accident investigation unfolds. It was therefore notable that some Dhruvs were recently seen flying, suggesting temporary clearance was granted for counterterrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir. To date, the ALH fleet manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has flown 450,000 hours, but the platform has suffered 28 crashes in the past 25 years. According to HAL, preliminary investigations blamed the latest crash on a swashplate fracture – a transmission part that translates pilot inputs into rotor blade motion. D.K Sunil, HAL's chairman and managing director, claimed in February that the ALH design had no fault. 'However, we're working with the Indian Coast Guard to examine their maintenance practices and determine whether any changes are required.' A final Defect Investigation Committee report is due in May, at which point 'we'll further take a call on the clearance,' Sunil said. Depending on any rectification work required, the ALH fleet may end up being grounded at least six months. The measure has already strained the military's fleet and forced the leasing of civilian helicopters as gap fillers. The grounding has also prompted criticism toward the manufacturer. Earlier this year, air force head Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh bluntly said: 'At the moment, I'm just not confident in HAL.' He urged the company to 'alleviate those worries.' HAL lashed out in an April 10 press release, calling out 'speculative stories with malicious intentions' about safety issues. The company's order book backlog has grown to seven years, and it has other helicopter projects on the go. These include the Light Utility Helicopter, which achieved its maiden flight in September 2016. However, serial production is yet to proceed. In the next decade will come more than 300 13-ton-class Indian Multi-Role Helicopters, too. HAL logged its latest helicopter orders on March 28, with two deals for Prachand Light Combat Helicopters (LCH) – 90 for the army and 66 for the air force. The two contracts are reportedly worth an equivalent of over $7 billion. India's Ministry of Defence said the first LCHs would be delivered three years after contract signature, with production continuing five years thereafter. Furthermore, it is 'planned to achieve an overall indigenous content of over 65% during the execution of this procurement,' the government said. HAL previously delivered 15 limited-series production LCHs to India's military, the first of these handed over in 2021. HAL has declared a goal of aircraft exports accounting for 25% of the company's revenue. However, overseas sales currently account for a mere 1%.
