HAL Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv

[Sridhar]

Dhruv clocks 1,00,000 flying hours

Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv achieved a new milestone of flying one lakh hours today. The land mark has been achieved in the early hours today with the flying of helicopter IA 3104 of 301 Army Aviation Sqn (Spl Ops).

Source Tarmak007

 

[Shaitan]

 

[Shaitan]

 

[Shaitan]

Really good recent video. This dhruv has some optics, sensors, etc on it.

 

[ladder]

DEMONSTRATION OF ALH
The demonstration of ALH blade folding was organised by HAL (HD) on board ICGS Sangram off Porbandar on 30 May 13.

Indian Coast Guard

 

[Shaitan]

SaabTech's radar warning receiver, laser warning receiver and MAWS have already been selected by the IAF for its Dhruv Mk4 ALH and Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), and by the Indian Army for its Rudra helicopter-gunships.

http://trishul-trident.blogspot.com/

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Rare indeed ..

Indian Coast Guard

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Ecuadorian Dhruv

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Some of them are in active service ..

Really good recent video. This dhruv has some optics, sensors, etc on it.

 

[Shaitan]

Some of them are in active service ..

The one you showed has only the compass. The Dhruv Mark 4s they are testing in the video will have SAABs defense suit, etc. too.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

Ecuadorian Dhruv

 

[Kunal Biswas]

 

[Kunal Biswas]

The Indian Navy is understood to be reconsidering its decision not to induct any more indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to a flight of eight shore-based platforms it operates at present on search and rescue (SAR) missions.

According to top sources in naval aviation, the force will raise its maiden ALH squadron, to be named INAS 322, in Kochi in early November.

The Navy had earlier turned its back on the 5.5 tonne ALH, dismayed as it was over the dimensions of the 'unfoldable' helicopter-blade which rendered the otherwise successful platform incompatible for ship-borne operations.

With the platform falling out of favour, all the ALH operated by the Navy were moved to Kochi sometime ago and their role largely limited to search and rescue. In the meantime, the platform was extensively used for trial of the dunking sonar Mihir, a 'technology demonstrator' indigenously developed by the Naval Physical and Oceanographic Laboratory (NPOL), an institution under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). The lab is currently developing an advanced version of low-frequency dunking sonar, which it is hopeful of inducting into the Navy in future.

"There's a shortage of helicopters in the Navy in all categories and acquisition processes are moving pretty slow. Which is one of the reasons why the force is contemplating buying more ALHs, which fall in the light-medium category," said a senior official.

Another senior officer, on condition of anonymity, said with the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya arriving at Karwar in late December/early January, some of the ALHs would be dispatched to Karwar to carry out night-flying operations from the carrier.

Meanwhile, the Navy is said to have taken a keen interest in the under-development weaponised version of ALH Dhruv, called Rudra, for conducting coastal surveillance and security operations.

Developed by HAL, the Rudra underwent extensive trials over the sea in Kochi late last year, where its sensors reportedly fared exceedingly well, tracking vessels from as far as 12 to 14 kms.

First Naval ALH squadron to be in Kochi - The Hindu

 

[ersakthivel]

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Finally, Navy too commissions Dhruv Sqn

 

[Abhi9]

Tarmak007 -- A bold blog on Indian defence: Finally, Navy too commissions Dhruv Sqn

 

[DivineHeretic]

There is still a bit of uncertainty as to how many Dhruvs have been built and how many are on order.

Can any senior member answer this?

@pamitra, @Kunal

 

[pmaitra]

There is still a bit of uncertainty as to how many Dhruvs have been built and how many are on order.

Can any senior member answer this?

@pamitra, @Kunal

@Kunal Biswas can give a more accurate answer than I.

 

[Defcon 1]

There is still a bit of uncertainty as to how many Dhruvs have been built and how many are on order.

Can any senior member answer this?

@pamitra, @Kunal

130 delivered till aero India 2013. About number of orders, not sure, a CAG audit of 2009 showed that original schedule was to produce 296 choppers by 2009, which means this is the minimum number we should be looking at.

 

[Kunal Biswas]

I am assuming it is some where +400 including rudra for all three services ..