DHRUV MILITARY HELICOPTER PROBLEM
Dhruv chopper by HAL grounded over rotor problem
The fault came to light after a Dhruv chopper crashed in Andhra
Pradesh last month
BY A CORRESPONDENT
6th December 2005
New Page 1
Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) manufactured by Hindustan
Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) is in trouble, following the detection of a
fault in the tail rotor of the chopper. Stakes ride high on the
indigenously-built Dhruv, which was displayed at international air
shows at Paris, Dubai and Farnborough.
The fault came to light after a Dhruv chopper crashed in Andhra
Pradesh last month, following which the armed forces grounded the
entire fleet of Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters. Out of the 46 Dhruv
copters in service, the Army alone has about 30.
According to authorities, the fault with the rotor has been
identified, and HAL engineers will inspect each and every Dhruv in the
field and fix the problems. However, the bad PR associated with
grounding an entire fleet may not augur well, especially since the
chopper is projected as a new-technology aircraft and pitched for sale
in overseas markets.
The five-and-a-half tonne Dhruv multi-purpose helicopters can be used
for air-support, helicopter-borne attacks and aerial reconnaissance.
The Dhruv copter was planned as a replacement to the ageing fleet of
Chetak and Cheetah copters used by the armed forces, which are over
two decades old. The Dhruv helicopters started entering the forces
from 2002. |
