HAL Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv

PaliwalWarrior

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Dhruv helicopters are good, says Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar

Jan 31, 2015

Niti PTI Bot

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New Delhi, Jan 31 (PTI) Asserting that Dhruv helicopters are good, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today said HAL has been asked to set up additional depots for spares after Ecuador put the Indian choppers on "restricted" operations following a spate of accidents.

"Dhruv is a good platform. If there is any issue about maintainance. I have already discussed. I have asked HAL to create a depot wherever it is required so that spares are available," he told reporters here.

He was asked about the move by Equador to put the remaining three helicopters it had bought on restricted operations and if it would affect India's plans to emerge globally as a defence manufacturer.

"This is a problem of getting spares in time. HAL has taken a decision to keep Rs 400 crore aside for built up of spares. It might take 3-6 months," he said.

Ecuadorian Air Force had bought seven Dhruv helicopters from state-run HAL in 2009 under a deal estimated to cost about USD 45 million.

Two of them had crashed earlier while two suffered accidents recently, in a span of about a fortnight.

"Three aircraft have had their operations restricted because they are undergoing a complete check," Security Minister Cesar Navas was quoted as saying by El Universo newspaper after the accident on January 27.

Dhruv helicopter FAE 605 allegedly caught fire in Ecuador's Amazon region on January 27 after taking off at a military base in Tena, according to local media. Two people were injured in the mishap.

It was the fourth Dhruv to suffer an accident since 2009. Incidentally, this mishap occurred at a time when an Indian team was already there to probe the incident that took place on January 13. Official sources said another General Manager (Repairs and Maintenance), has now being sent to the northwestern South American country following the second accident.

They said the joint probe team will look into all angles including technical and human error.

A major accident happened in February 2014 when a Dhruv, assigned to the Air Force and sometimes used to transport President Rafael Correa, crashed on a flight from Guayaquil to Quito, killing three of its four crew members.

Earlier in October 2009, one helicopter crashed while making a low pass during a military ceremony in Quito, injuring the pilot and co-pilot. Dhruv helicopters were inducted into the Indian military in 2002.

PTI


Dhruv helicopters are good, says Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar
 

tejas warrior

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Any information of Ecuador's Crash ? was it problem in Dhruv OR its a pilot's skills ?
 

Kunal Biswas

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Such incident are not published openly, Not even our own ..

They lost 4 dhruvs in last three months, How many we lost since then ?

Their are Chinese and American which are major competitors ..

Any official source saying that? Are investigations over?
 

abingdonboy

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Any information of Ecuador's Crash ? was it problem in Dhruv OR its a pilot's skills ?
Look at the EAF's flying record, it is abysmal to say the least. They crash everything they get their hands on. Even if HAL get a request to supply more ALHs to them I don't think it is worth the damage the EAF are doing to the ALH's reputation.
 

tejas warrior

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What is current indigenous content of Dhruv ? and is HAL/DRDO making some continuous development to increase indigenous content ?
 

cobra commando

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HAL makes big civilian push for Dhruv



March 7, 2015: HAL will be ramping up efforts to boost sales of the ALH Dhruv helicopter in the civilian market in India and regionally. Sources say HAL's new chairman T. Suvarnaraju has highlighted sales of the civilian configured Dhruv as a priority area, given the huge demand for helicopters of the Dhruv class. A VVIP configuration version of the Dhruv is also being projected at the luxury sector and is set to be unveiled this year. Civilian operators of the Dhruv so far include ONGC and certain other operators. But HAL has decided it needs to ramp up marketing to meet big anticipated demand for the 5.5 ton class helicopter. 2015 will see an enhanced marketing outreach for the Dhruv helicopter. HAL is understood to be waiting to complete assistance on the three Dhruv crashes that took place this year -- two in Ecuador in January alone. While focusing on the export thrust to countries like Malaysia and Indonesia that have evinced keen interest in importing the Dhruv in unspecified numbers, HAL wants to catapult to the next level with the supply of higher numbers, rather than be restricted to one or two choppers it currently sells currently. While the IMRH programme has been delayed for priority reasons, HAL is hoping to build a robust helicopter catalogue, featuring the Dhruv, LUH and IMRH ultimately, with offerings across weight classes and variants. Such an exercise will necessarily take more than the rest of this decade.
HAL makes big civilian push for Dhruv - SP’s Exculsive
 

cobra commando

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Saab mulls Indian production of IDAS



April 06, 2015: Saab, which recently bagged a $78 million follow-on contract from Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) for serial production of an integrated electronic warfare self-protection system for installation on the Indian Army's and Air Force's Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, has revealed it is considering local production of the IDAS system in India, given the large potential demand for such a capability. Saab's IDAS is an EW system designed to provide "self-defence in sophisticated, diverse and dense threat environments. IDAS can be configured to become the high-end system with laser- warning, missile-approach- warning, as well as full multi- spectral detection capability for radar. The system is fully integrated with the BOP-L countermeasures dispenser." Production of the IDAS system for the Indian Dhruv will take place at Saab in Centurion, South Africa (Saab Grintek Defence), with deliveries set to take place from this year till 2018. The Saab leadership in India has however revealed that the company is actively scouting an opportunity to build the IDAS system in India, to service Indian and Asia-Pacific requirements. The IDAS has proven service on several platforms including the Saab 2000, Agusta-Westland A109, Super Lynx 300, Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Denel Rooivalk and Oryx, Eurocopter Cougar, Puma & Super Puma, NH Industries NH90, C-130 and L100 Hercules, Sukhoi Su-30MKM. The system could be under consideration for future platforms being developed in country too.


Saab mulls Indian production of IDAS - SP�s Exculsive
 
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praneet.bajpaie

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Heard that there were 2 Dhruv crashes in Ecuador in January 2015. Can someone tell me the reason? was it pilot error or the machines are faulty??
 

sob

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Good to see the MOD spokesperson pushing ALH on social media
 

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