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Success HAL has produced over 250 Dhruv heli- [ AIR SYSTEMS ]
copters, which have also spun-off the Light
Combat Helicopter (LCH) programme and the
Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) programme. HAL
continues to receive orders for the ALH with
at Hand the Navy placing an order for 32 helicopters
in December 2017 and the Indian Air Force
(IAF) placing orders for 41 in March 2017. The
combined worth of the orders is INR141 billion.
Deliveries for an Indian Army order for 22 ALH
MK IIIs commenced in February 2019, with the
delivery of three helicopters. HAL had entered
INDIA’S MILITARY AVIATION CAPABILITIES into a contract with the Army for 40 ALH (22
CONTINUE TO GROW ALH Mk III and 18 Mk IV Rudra) in August 2017.
The multi-role 5.5-ton weight class Dhruv heli-
Atul Chandra
copter in its MK III and MK IV variants is powered
by two ARDIDEN 1H1 (Shakti) engines. Earlier
The development of indigenous fighter aircraft and rotary wing variants are powered by TM-333-2B2 engines.
platforms are a costly and time consuming affair, as already expe- The basic helicopter is produced in skid version
rienced by the aircraft producing nations of Asia. Unlike established and wheeled version. In the wheeled version,
aircraft manufacturing nations such as the USA, Russia, France and
England; Asian competitors do not have the export wherewithal to
offset the tremendous costs involved in the design and development
of modern fighter aircraft.

Possibly more than any other Asian nation, India’s aerospace ambi-
tions have often outstripped its budgetary muscle and attempts
to develop a range of platforms from an intermediate jet trainer
to a 4th generation light fighter have been fraught with difficulties.
However, the Indian example also alludes to the vast benefits of
a successful aircraft development programme such as Hindustan
Aeronautics Limited’s (HAL) Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter
(ALH). Four variants of the helicopter have been developed with
the Dhruv’s MK III and MK IV being the most capable.

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