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Dhruv

An Indian Army Dhruv
Type Utility helicopter
Manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Maiden flight 1992
Introduced 2002
Status Active
Primary users Indian Army
Indian Air Force
Indian Navy
Nepalese Army Air Service
Produced 80+166 on order[1]
Unit cost Rs 30-35 crore (basic)
Variants HAL Light Combat Helicopter

The HAL Dhruv (Sanskrit: "Pole Star") is a multi-role helicopter developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). A Utility Helicopter is a multi-role Helicopter. A utility military helicopter can fill roles such as ground attack, Air assault, Cargo An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia 's largest Aerospace companies The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. Nepal has no separate Air Force but flies several aircraft within Nepalese Army Service also known as the Nepal Army Air Wing The HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH is a combat helicopter currently being developed in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for use by the Indian Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical A pole star is a visible star especially a prominent one that is approximately aligned with the Earth 's Axis of rotation; that is a star whose apparent position A Utility Helicopter is a multi-role Helicopter. A utility military helicopter can fill roles such as ground attack, Air assault, Cargo History Since 400 AD Chinese children have played with bamboo flying toys. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL) based in Bangalore, India, is one of Asia 's largest Aerospace companies It is currently being supplied to the Indian Armed Forces, and a civilian variant is also available. Organization and command structure The headquarters of the Indian Armed Forces is in New Delhi, the capital city. The type has been exported to Nepal and Israel , and is currently being considered by Bolivia and Peru. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. The Republic of Bolivia (República de Bolivia) named after Simón Bolívar, is a Landlocked country in central South America. Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America. Specialised military variants include anti-submarine warfare machines and helicopter gunships[2]

Contents

Development

Hindustan's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) programme was first announced in November 1984, but progress was slow. Anti-submarine warfare (ASW or in older form A/S is a branch of Naval warfare that uses surface Warships Aircraft, space craft or other Submarines An attack helicopter, also known as a Helicopter Gunship, is a Military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground Even after the first prototype flew in August 1992, problems arose due to the changing demands of the Indian military, funding, and contractual issues with Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm, which was the consultant for design. Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm (MBB was a German Aerospace company formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s Further delay was caused by U. S. sanctions after Indian nuclear tests in 1998, which embargoed the engine originally intended to power the helicopter. Then the helicopter used Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft producing 746 kW (1000 SHP) each and an agreement was signed with Turbomeca to develop a more powerful engine. Turbomeca is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power Gas turbine Turboshaft engines for Helicopters The company also produces A turboshaft engine is a form of Gas turbine which is optimized to produce Shaft power, rather than Jet thrust.

A Weapon System Integrated (WSI) Dhruv is under development for the Indian Military services. It will have stub wings fitted to carry up to eight anti-armour missiles, four air-to-air missiles or four rocket pods for 70mm and 68mm rockets. The WSI variant will also have FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera and a target acquisition system with thermal sight and laser rangefinder.

Earlier version of the Dhruv cockpit. Newer models are equipped with a glass cockpit with some Israeli avionics
Earlier version of the Dhruv cockpit. Newer models are equipped with a glass cockpit with some Israeli avionics

In December 2006, Nexter Systems (formerly Giat) was awarded a contract for the installation of the THL 20 20mm gun turret on the first 20 Indian forces Dhruv helicopters. A glass cockpit is an Aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays. The turret is armed with the M621 low-recoil cannon and is combined with a helmet-mounted sight. [3]

The helicopter was fitted with the more powerful Shakti engine developed jointly by HAL and Turbomeca, and now entering production. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout Turbomeca is a French manufacturer of low- and medium-power Gas turbine Turboshaft engines for Helicopters The company also produces [4] The first test flight of the Dhruv with the new engine and the weaponised version took place on 16 August 2007. Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. [5] The naval version of the helicopter is fitted with the Mihir dunking SONAR[6] which is integrated with the Helicopter Fire Control System. [7]

Operational History

Sarang team performing.
Sarang team performing.

Deliveries of the Dhruv commenced in 2002, a full ten years after the prototype's first flight, and nearly twenty years after the programme was initiated. The Indian Coast Guard became the first service to induct Dhruv helicopters into service. The Indian Coast Guard is the fourth service created to guard Republic of India 's vast Coastline. This was followed by induction by the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. The Indian Army (Bharatiya Thalsena भारतीय थाल्सेना is one of the armed forces of India and has the responsibility for land-based The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the Seventy five Dhruvs were delivered to the Indian armed forces by 2007 and the plan is to produce forty helicopters yearly. One of only three helicopter display teams in the world, the Sarang aerobatic display team of the Indian Air Force performs with four Dhruv helicopters. Sarang ( Sanskrit: सारंग - Peacock) is the Helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. The Indian Air Force (Devanāgarī भारतीय वायु सेना IAST Bhartiya Vāyu Senā is the air arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the

The Dhruv is capable of flying at very high altitudes, a crucial requirement for the Army, which requires helicopters for operations in Siachen Glacier and Kashmir. see Siachen conflict for the military conflict over this area The Siachen Glacier is located in the eastern Karakoram range in the Himalaya ( Dogri: जम्मू और कश्मीर Urdu: جموں و کشمیر is the northernmost state of India. In September 2007, the Dhruv was cleared for High-altitude flying in the Siachen Sector after six-month long trials. [8][9]. In October 2007, a Dhruv flew to an altitude of 27,500 ft ASL in Siachen. The term above mean sea level ( AMSL) refers to the Elevation (on the ground or Altitude (in the Air) of any object relative to the This was the highest that the Dhruv had flown, and was higher than the 25,000 ft record set by an IAF Cheetah helicopter in 2005. [10]

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is believed to be close to securing an order to supply 12 advanced light helicopter (ALH) ambulances to the armed forces. HAL Dhruv ambulances will have all the emergency medical equipment for the treatment of injured soldiers. The HAL Dhruv ambulances will be used by the Armed Forces’ Medical Services. [11]

Civilian Service

Air Ambulance variant of the Dhruv
Air Ambulance variant of the Dhruv

HAL also produces a civilian variant of the Dhruv for various functions- VIP Transport, Rescue, Policing, Offshore Operations and air-ambulance role, among others. [12] The interiors of the VIP Transport version has been designed by reputed Automobile Designer Dilip Chhabria. Dilip Chhabria is an Indian automobile designer. He is the founder of DC Design. [13]

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has placed an order for 12 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr Upadhyay said the helicopters will have top-of-the-line medical infrastructure, including ventilators and two stretchers. [14]

Other buyers include the Geological Survey of India (GSI) (1 Helicopter), ONGC for its offshore operations, as well as various state governments for VIP transport and policing. Geological Survey of India (GSI established in 1851 is a government organization in India for conducting geological surveys and studies Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited ( ONGC) (incorporated on June 23, 1993) is an Indian Public sector petroleum company [15].

Foreign Sales

The Dhruv's low-cost & high-performance has elicited interest from many countries, especially for use in High-Altitude regions.

Chile had issued an RFP for 5. 5 tonne, twin engined new generation helicopter and the Dhruv participating in the competition. HAL had conducted a live demonstration of Dhruv equipped with advanced cockpit, electronic warfare suite and surveillance pod in Chile. Four Dhruv choppers were involved in a wide range of applications for evaluation with the demonstration clocking a total of 107 hours. It flew to high altitudes, hot and desert conditions, carried out ship deck landing at Valparaiso, search and rescue at 12,500 ft above mean sea level at a temperature of 2° C as well as long distance ferry flights. However, Bell 412 won this contract[16] allegedly due to arm twisting by the United States government. [17] HAL will also sign an agreement with Bolivia for two Dhruv helicopters. [18] Peru has also shown interest in the Dhruv. [19] The Dhruv is also being offered to Turkey and Malaysia.

Countries like Turkey, Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia have also shown interest in the civilian variant of the Dhruv[20]. Flight certification for Europe and North America is also being planned, in order to tap the large civilian market there.

India is also reportedly planning to sell Dhruvs to Myanmar. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar ( pjìdàunzṵ mjàmmà nàinŋàndɔ̀ is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. This led to protests from Amnesty International, who pointed to the use of components sourced from European suppliers as a possible violation of the EU Arms Embargo of Myanmar. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in [21] In a letter to the President of the EU Council of Ministers, Amnesty stated that it had evidence that India planned to transfer two Dhruvs (with European components) to Burma. [22]. An unknown source in the government replied that “India does give defense hardware support to Myanmar but the equipment is not offensive … and not its top of the line technology”. [23]

A further order for 166 helicopters were placed with HAL since the helicopter is working well in higher altitude areas with the Indian Army. [24]

[edit] Operators

Military operators

A Dhruv operated in Israel
A Dhruv operated in Israel
Flag of India India
Flag of Burma Burma
Flag of Israel Israel
Flag of Nepal Nepal
Flag of Bolivia Bolivia

Civil operators

Flag of India India

Incidents

Specifications (Dhruv)

The Shakti engine
The Shakti engine

General characteristics

Performance

Armament 8 Anti-tank guided missiles, 4 Air-to-air missiles, 4 x 68 mm Rocket Pods (Air-Force & Army), 2 Torpedoes, Depth charges or Anti-ship missiles

Gallery

Sarang Helicopter Acrobatics team's display at the Farnborough Air Show, 2006. An anti-tank guided missile ( ATGM) or anti-tank guided weapon ( ATGW) is a guided Missile primarily designed to hit and destroy An air-to-air missile ( AAM) is a guided Missile fired from an Aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft The modern torpedo (historically called an automotive automobile locomotive or fish torpedo is a self-propelled explosive Projectile weapon launched above or below Depth Charge is a character in the Beast Wars: Transformers universe Anti-ship missiles are a Missile designed for use against Ships Most anti-ship missiles are of the Sea-skimming type and use a combination of Sarang ( Sanskrit: सारंग - Peacock) is the Helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force.

Dhruv Display at the Farnborough Air Show 2006.

The HAL Dhruv

Frontal view of the Dhruv

Naval utility version

Sarang

Sarang aerobatic team performing

civil version of the Dhruv

civil version of the Dhruv

Sarang

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

  1. ^ Forces look for more armour, may shell out Rs 15 crore
  2. ^ Official website. Sarang ( Sanskrit: सारंग - Peacock) is the Helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force. The HAL Light Combat Helicopter (LCH is a combat helicopter currently being developed in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd for use by the Indian WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout
  3. ^ Contract awarded for 20 THL 20 turrets
  4. ^ Shakti-powered ALH to fly on August 1
  5. ^ Dhruvs with Shakti engine and weapons make maiden flight
  6. ^ Mihir SONAR
  7. ^ Helicopter Fire Control System
  8. ^ "Dhruv helicopter set to fly in Siachen", NDTV, 3 September 2007
  9. ^ "Dhruv clears trials to fly high in Siachen", Times of India, 20 February 2007, accessed 8 October 2007
  10. ^ "Bangalore ALH pilots fly high", Times of India, 8 October 2007
  11. ^ HAL likely to get Rs 420 crore order for air ambulances
  12. ^ HAL Website, with Brochures for individual roles
  13. ^ DC Design now eyes airplanes, Rediff. NDTV (New Delhi Television Limited, founded in 1988 is India 's largest private Television production house Events 36 BC - In the Battle of Naulochus, Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, Admiral of Octavian, defeats Sextus Pompeius Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Times of India ( TOI) is a leading English-language Broadsheet Daily newspaper in India. Events 1472 - Orkney and Shetland are left by Norway to Scotland, due to a Dowry payment Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. com Business, 13 December 2005, accessed 8 October 2007
  14. ^ NDMA to get 12 ALHs
  15. ^ HAL likely to get Rs 420 crore order for air ambulances
  16. ^ Chile inks contract with Bell for 412
  17. ^ US pressure robs chopper order from Hindustan Aeronautics
  18. ^ HAL Receives RFP from Chile for Dhruv
  19. ^ Chile keen to buy HAL’s Dhruv helicopters
  20. ^ Shakti-powered Dhruv helicopter to fly today
  21. ^ "'Threat' to EU-Burma embargo", BBC News, 16 July 2007, accessed 8 October 2007
  22. ^ [1] "Indian helicopters for Myanmar: making a mockery of the EU arms embargo?", Amnesty International Report about the reported sale. Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 622 - The beginning of the Islamic calendar. 1054 - Three Roman legates fractured relations between the Western and Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a Western based international Non-governmental organization which defines its mission as "to Also see [2] for Adobe Acrobat format of the Report.
  23. ^ Taipei Times, Page 5, Tuesday, 17 July 2007. Events 180 - Twelve inhabitants of Scillium in North Africa are executed for being Christians Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. A government source who asked not to be named, denied any wrongdoing and said India “does not attach much credence to reports by Amnesty International. India does give defense hardware support to Myanmar but the equipment is not offensive … and not top of the line technology,” said the source, asserting that Myanmar was helping in the battle against insurgents in India’s northeast. Another Indian official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the technology concerned was for communications only and not for offensive operations.
  24. ^ Forces look for more armour, may shell out Rs 15 crore
  25. ^ http://164.100.24.208/ls/CommitteeR/Defence/17threport.pdf
  26. ^ Dhruvs to be airborne next week
  27. ^ HAL stresses on safety features of Dhruv
  28. ^ ALH helicopter crashes; IAF pilot killed ahead of Aero India show. globalsecurity. org. Retrieved on 2007-08-25. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1248 - The Dutch city of Ommen receives city rights and fortification rights from Otto III the
  29. ^ Aero-India 2007, "Sarang" Helicopter Display Team, www.Bharat-Rakshak.com
  30. ^ Aero-India 2007, "Sarang" Aerobatic Team, Images by Arun Vishwakarma, www.Bharat-Rakshak.com

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