Bengaluru: HAL Chairman and MD Dr D K Sunil on Tuesday said that a call on resuming operations of Dhruv, India's indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), will be taken after the Defect Investigation Team submits its report.
The HAL has grounded the operations of the ALH Dhruv fleet following the January 5 incident where an Indian Coast Guard ALH Dhruv Mk III crashed at Gujarat's Porbandar Airport claiming the lives of three crew members. Due to the grounding, ALH Dhruva did not perform at the ongoing Aero India on Tuesday much to the disappointment of the audience.
"The preliminary investigation suggested that the crash was caused due to a fracture in the swash plate of the helicopter. But still, the Defect Investigation Team has been conducting a detailed investigation (into the reasons for the crash). It is expected to submit its report in three weeks. Following which we will take a call on resuming operations of the ALH," Sunil said at the customary press conference held at Aero India 2025 venue in Bengaluru.
ALH Dhruva, operated by all the wings of the Indian military and positioned as a low-cost alternative to Western multi-utility helicopters, has seen 28 crashes since its induction 25 years ago. Of which about one-third - as many as 13 - were due to technical reasons, another one-third due to human errors and the remaining due to unknown reasons.
On questions being raised over the safety and efficacy of this indigenously developed chopper due to repeated crashes, the CMD said there was no fault with the design of the chopper and training and maintenance could largely be the reasons. "However we are working with the Indian Coast Guards to know their maintenance practices to find out if any changes are to be made," he added.
About ALH Dhruv
The indigenously designed and developed ALH DHRUV is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission new-generation helicopter in the 5.5-ton weight class and is produced in both skid and wheeled versions.
According to HAL, Dhruv is 'type–Certified' for Military operations by the Centre for Military Airworthiness Certification (CEMILAC) and civil operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
"Certification of the utility military variant was completed in 2002 and that of the civil variant was completed in 2004. The deliveries of production series helicopters commenced from 2001-02 onwards. A total of 345 Helicopters have been produced by June 2024 including 313 for the Indian Armed Forces," reads the description on the HAL website.
Major variants of Dhruv ALHs are classified as Dhruv Mk-I, Mk-II, Mk-III and Mk-IV.
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3 Killed As Coast Guard Chopper Crashes In Gujarat's Porbandar
