HAL test flight ALH with Shakti Engines

Bangalore, Aug 16: Displaying its prowess to develop modern aero engines, Defence aviation major Hindusthan Aeronautics Ltd, today conducted the inaugural flight of the weaponised Advance Light Helicopter-Dhruv fitted with a high powered Shakti engine.

Shakti engine, jointly developed with French aero engine maker Turbomeca, could develop approximately 30 per cent higher power compared to the older 2B2 engine, which translates to more than 150 per cent increase in payload capability at high altitudes.

Speaking to newsmen after the test flight of the two Dhruvs HAL Chairman Ashok K Baweja said the development of Shakti was one more chapter in HAL's adaptation of state-of-the-art aviation technology. Shakti had a most sophisticated electronic digital control that helps meet the highly demanding performance requirements over a wide range of altitude, environment and terrain conditions.

"Shakti will meet the high altitude power requirements of weaponised Dhruv of the Indian Army and the Airforce. Indian certification authorities are participating in the certification process and we expect the provisional certificate to be issued by January or February next year," he said.

He said HAL had an order book for 75 Dhruv helicopters and 67 of them had already been delivered. The Indian market for Dhruv was 300 helicopters and this included 250 in the services and the coast guard while the rest in civilian sector. "We are also focussing on the export market and the ALH has been tested extensively in the high tarrains in Chile at an altitude of 12000 to 15000 feet for over 100 hours.

Dhruv is the latest from the stables of HAL which had earlier produced Cheetah and Chetak helicopters for both military and civilian uses.

Mr Baweja said 5.5 tonne class Dhruv helicopters were priced at Rs 35 crore, which was about Rs six crore less when compared to same class of copters manufactured world over. Shakti prototype engines had successfully undergone extensive tests on the engine test bed at Turbomeca. Presently, the engines were undergoing simulated high altitude tests in the Altitude Chamber at France.

Certification flight tests of Dhruv powered by Shakti engine would include tests at Bangalore and at sea level, high level altitude cold, hot weather and hot desert trials, he said.

The weaponised version of Dhruv, belonged to the latest-generation, fully-integrated sensor and weapon suite, would accomplish its missions in day or night as well as in adverse weather conditions.

The regal blue Dhruv, armed to the teeth, stole the thunder at the HAL's test facility at HAL's Helicopter Division on the Air Port road as HAL's Chief Test pilot Wing Commander Upadhyay maneuvered skillfully.

Integrated with formidable array of sensors and weapon systems, would start its flights in 'weaponised role' from this month.

Armed to teeth with turret gun, air-to-air missiles and rockets the most modern weapons integrated Dhruv would give the armed forces more teeth, with both pilots having complete access to all the weapons.

He said the weaponised Dhruv was equipped with 'fire and forget' air-to-air missiles, 700 mm rockets which can be fired both in 'direct' and 'indirect mode' (when the target is not even seen) and the 20 mm turret gun that can be 'slaved' to electro optical system or the helmet pointing system. Pilot needs to merely look at the target for the gun to automatically point to the target.

In the near future, Dhruv would also be integrated with 'fire and forget' anti tank guided missiles, he said.

Mr Baweja said no night is too dark for Dhruv with its sophisticated electro optical day/night observation and targetting system consisting of an infra red camera, CCD colour television camera, laser range finder and laser designer, which provides high performance visual imagery of terrain and targets even in complete darkness.

Keeping in view smart weapons of today, 'smarter' defenses had been integrated on Dhruv, which could mislead, confuse and deflect incoming threatening missiles. Modern electronic warfare suite that included radar warning receiver, laser warning receiver and missile approach warning, detects a missile threat even as it was launched.

Counter measure would be automatically triggered to deceive and deflect the threatening missile, he said.

Designed for multi mission, multi-role operations, Dhruv in its 'armed avtar' offered wide mission flexibility to meet the most stringent military requirements of Army and Air Force in the 21st century, he added.

UNI