HAL Dhruv


The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; though its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requirement for design changes, budget restrictions, and sanctions placed on India following the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests.
The HAL Dhruv entered operational service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators, with military variants of the helicopter being developed for the Indian Armed Forces, while a variant for civilian/commercial use has also been developed. Military versions in production include transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants.
more than 400 Dhruvs had been produced for domestic and export markets logging more than 340,000 flying hours.

Development

Origins

The Advanced Light Helicopter program for an indigenous 5-ton multirole helicopter was initiated in May 1979 by the Indian Air Force and Indian Naval Air Arm. HAL were given a contract by the Indian government in 1984 to develop the helicopter; Germany's Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm were contracted in July 1984 as a design consultant and collaborative partner on the programme. Although originally scheduled to fly in 1989, the first prototype ALH made its maiden flight on 20 August 1992 at Bangalore with the then-Indian Vice President K R Narayanan in attendance. This was followed by a second prototype on 18 April 1993, an Army/Air Force version, and a navalised prototype with Allied Signal CTS800 engines and a retractable tricycle undercarriage. Development problems arose due to changing military demands and a funding shortfall in the wake of the 1991 Indian economic crisis.
Naval testing on board and other ships started in March 1998, and around the same time a weight-reduction programme was initiated. However, further delays in development were caused when sanctions were implemented against India following a number of Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998 and India's continued refusal to sign the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. As a result, the intended engine for the helicopter, the LHTEC T800, was embargoed. The Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft engine was selected as a replacement; in addition, Turbomeca agreed to co-develop a more powerful engine with HAL, originally known as the Ardiden. Turbomeca also assisted in the development of the helicopter; stress analysis and studies of rotor dynamics were conducted in France. The first flight of Dhruv with the new engine variant, called the Shakti, took place on 16 August 2007.

Further development

The HAL Rudra, earlier known as Dhruv-WSI, is an attack variant designed for the Indian Army. Development was sanctioned in December 1998 and the prototype first flew on 16 August 2007; it is to be armed with both anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, and a 20-mm turret-mounted cannon. The Dhruv-WSI is to be capable of conducting combat air support and anti-submarine warfare roles as well. In addition to the Dhruv-WSI, HAL is also developing the light combat helicopter based on the Dhruv for the Indian Armed Forces. It is fitted with stub wings for carrying up to eight anti-armour missiles, four air-to-air missiles, or four pods loaded with either 70 mm or 68 mm rockets. The LCH will also have forward-looking infrared, a charge-coupled device camera, and a target acquisition system with laser rangefinder and thermal vision.
In 2005, following a crash landing of a Dhruv, the entire fleet was grounded when it was discovered to have been caused by excessive vibration of the tail rotor. Following a redesign which incorporated new materials in addition to changes in design methodology, the Dhruv undertook recertification and returned to service shortly after March 2006. In April 2007, a report published by the Indian Committee of Defence noted the Dhruv as one of four "focus areas" identified as having high export potential. In January 2011, HAL and partner Israel Aerospace Industries announced that they were jointly developing the Dhruv to operate as an unmanned maritime helicopter, stating customer interest in such a feature.
The first five production Dhruv Mk III, powered by the more powerful Shakti-1H engine, were delivered to the Leh-based 205 Aviation Squadron on 7 February 2011 during a ceremony at HAL's Helicopter Division. In July 2011, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation certified a Dhruv simulator developed by HAL and Canadian developer CAE Inc; the simulator is easily modifiable to simulate different variants of the Dhruv and other helicopters such as the Eurocopter Dauphin. Defence Bioengineering and Electromedical Laboratory has been developing an oxygen life-support system to improve the helicopter's high-altitude performance, and as of August 2010 the IAF has ordered development of this system for the Dhruv.

Design

The HAL Dhruv is of conventional design; about 29 percent of its empty weight is composite materials. It has been reported that the unique carbon fibre composite developed by HAL reduced the helicopter's weight by 50 percent. The high tail boom allows easy access to the rear doors. The twin 1000 shp Turbomeca TM333-2B2 turboshafts are mounted above the cabin and drive a four-blade composite main rotor. The main rotor can be manually folded; the blades are mounted between carbon-fibre-reinforced plates, the rotor head is constructed from fibre elastomers. In February 2004, US helicopter company Lord Corporation were awarded a contract to develop an active vibration control system, which monitors onboard conditions and cancels out fuselage vibrations.
The cockpit section of the fuselage is of Kevlar and carbon-fibre construction; it is also fitted with crumple zones and crashworthy seats. The aircraft is equipped with a SFIM Inc four-axis automatic flight control system. Avionics systems include a HF/UHF communications radio, IFF recognition, Doppler navigation, and a radio altimeter; a weather radar and the Omega navigation system were options for the naval variant. IAI has also developed targeting systems and an electronic warfare suite for the Dhruv, as well as avionics for day-and-night flight observation. HAL's claim that the Dhruv is indigenous has been challenged by 5h3 Comptroller and Auditor General of India, who reported that as of August 2010 the helicopter was: "...against the envisaged indigenisation level of 50%, 90% of the value of material used in each ALH is still imported from foreign suppliers".
In September 2010, it was reported that the Dhruv's Integrated Dynamic System, which combines several key rotor control functions into a single module carrying the engine's power to the rotors, was suffering from excessive wear, necessitating frequent replacement; as a consequence the cruising speed had been restricted to 250 km/h and high-altitude performance was lessened as well. HAL contracted Italian aerospace firm Avio for consultancy purposes and they subsequently replicated production of the IDS in Italy in order to isolate the problem with the early testing of the Dhruv subsequently being criticized as "rushed". In June 2011, HAL has reported that the issue had been resolved and not present in the Dhruv Mk III; a number of alterations both to the design and production had been made to improve the IDS. A programme of retrofitting the Mk I and Mk II was completed by June 2011.
The ALH Mk-III with new Shakti-1H engines has better and improved high altitude performance operating at altitudes over 6 km. It comes with seating for 14 fully equipped troops. DGCA has reportedly praised its crashworthy design as a few accidents have not caused any fatalities.
In September 2024, HAL assigned TimeTooth Technologies, based in Bengaluru, for indigenisation of Rotor Damp System to be used on ALH Dhruv and HAL Prachand. The project involves development and qualification of the system for the next two years followed by its production and supply would be for a period of 5 years and beyond. The majority of the project will be funded by the private company itself. The production order value is expected to exceed $5 million within the 5-year period.

Orders

  • Nepal placed an order for two Dhruvs in 2004.
  • Three major orders for civilian Dhruv helicopters were placed in 2005. The orders was placed by Oil and Natural Gas Corporation for three helicopters, Jharkhand State Government for 2 units and Karnataka State Government for one on lease. The combined order value exceeded.
  • India was expected to order up to 12 Dhruvs outfitted with an onboard emergency medical suite, to be used by the Armed Forces Medical Services for MEDEVAC purposes as of August 2007. The National Disaster Management Authority placed an order for 12 Dhruv helicopters equipped with a full medical suite, including ventilators and two stretchers in 2007.
  • On 23 December 2007, another major order of 159 helicopters, worth, for the Indian Army and Air Force was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security after a delay of nine months. The order was placed by September 2009.
  • In June 2008, HAL has secured an order from the Ecuadorian Air Force for seven Dhruvs, worth 50.7 million.
  • In 2008, it was announced that India's Home Ministry had ordered six Dhruvs.
  • In August 2008, a deal was reportedly finalised with Turkey for three Dhruvs for 20 million for use in the medical assistance role.
  • In March 2017, HAL received an order for 32 Dhruv for the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. The order was worth and was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security earlier.
  • On 4 September 2017, an order of 41 helicopters for Indian Army and Indian Navy. The order is to be executed within 60 months The order was worth. The contract was earlier cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council of the Ministry of Defence and chaired by the Defence Minister on 23 December 2013 at a cost of.
  • Apart from getting 16 Dhruv Mk III, Indian Coast Guard issued Letter of Intent for nine additional units in 2022. In March 2024, Cabinet Committee on Security approved the procurement of 34 Dhruv Mk III variants. The order was signed between MoD and HAL on 14 March 2024. The Indian Army would receive 25 units of Dhruv MkIII UT while Coast Guard will get 9 units of Dhruv MkIII MR. The order was worth.
  • In November 2024, the Defence Acquisition Council approved the procurement of 6 ALH variant helicopters for the Indian Coast Guard.
  • On 29 January 2026, HAL received an order worth over from Pawan Hans to supply 10 Dhruv NG helicopters including associated spares and accessories. The deliveries will be completed by 2027. Four helicopters will be deployed for ONGC operations under an agreement signed on 17 December 2024.