Dhruv choppers with Army, IAF good to fly
The government has cleared the fleet of nearly 330 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) with the Army and Indian Air Force for flying, ending nearly four months of embargo on their operations. The move comes in the backdrop of rising tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack.
The ALH Dhruv has been in service since 2002 and the Army uses around 200 helicopters, while the IAF has 75. The ALH versions used by the Navy and Coast Guard are yet to get the green signal for flying.
The helicopter is engaged in logistics, transport, search and rescue, medical evacuation, reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare operations. A version of the helicopter is also armed for combat support for ground troops.
The manufacturer, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), in a statement said “the ALH Dhruv Army and Air Force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations”.
A time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users, it added.
The entire ALH fleet of the armed forces was grounded for a comprehensive check after a Coast Guard helicopter crashed on January 5, killing three personnel on board.
A report of the ‘defect investigation team’ set up by the HAL evaluated whether the crash took place due to a snag in the crashed helicopter or general defects in the fleet. The prima facie cause of the January 5 crash was a fracture in the ‘swash plate’ — it connects parts of the control rods that channel energy from the engine to rotors.
In the past 25 years, ALHs have witnessed 28 crashes, of which 13 have been due to technical reasons and 13 caused by human error. Two remain unknown.
The helicopter is touted as a major success for the indigenous military equipment manufacturing programme. Its armed variant — Light Combat Helicopter (ACH) — is being built on the same platform and engines.
Due to the grounding of the fleet, the ALH was not part of the Republic Day fly past or the Aero India. The twin-engine utility helicopter is designed for both military and civilian roles.
India