The HAL Dhruv (Sanskrit:"Pole Star") is a multi-role advanced helicopter made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is currently being supplied to the Indian Armed forces (Indian Coast Guard, Indian Navy, Indian Air Force, Indian Army); a civilian variant is also available. The type has been exported to Nepal and Israel , and is currently being considered by Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Specialised military variants include anti-submarine warfare machines and helicopter gunships^[1] One of only three helicopter display teams in the world, the Sarang aerobatic display team of the Indian Air Force performs with four Dhruv helicopters. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 226 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:[1] Image by B. Harry From http://www. ... An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, and/or spacecraft. ... Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is a major aerospace company under the Ministry of Defence headquartered in Bangalore, India. ... The Maiden flight of an aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord. ... The Indian Army is one of the armed forces of India and has responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ... The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ... There is no Air Force in Nepal. ... Previously known as the LAH (Light attack helicopter), and not to be confused with the Lancer LAH (Light attack Helicopter), which is a derivative of the Cheetah helicopter, HALs recently rechristened Light Combat Helicopter (LCH ) is a dedicated combat and gunship variant of the existing Advanced Light Helicopter(Dhruv... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... For other uses of the words Pole star and Polestar see Polestar (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Helicopter (disambiguation). ... Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is a major aerospace company under the Ministry of Defence headquartered in Bangalore, India. ... Indian Coast Guards coat of Arms. ... The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ... The Indian Army is one of the armed forces of India and has responsibility for land-based military operations. ... “A/S” redirects here. ... A helicopter gunship is a military helicopter armed for attacking targets on the ground, using automatic cannon and machinegun fire, rockets, and precision guided missiles such as the Hellfire. ... Sarang is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force, one of only two in the world, the other being the Blue Eagles. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ...

Development

Earlier version of the Dhruv cockpit. Newer models are equipped with a glass cockpit with some Israeli avionics

Hindustan's Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) programme was first announced in November 1984, but progress was slow. Even after the first prototype flew in August 1992, problems arose due to the changing demands of the Indian military, funding, and contractual issues with MBB, which was the consultant for design. Further delay was caused by U.S. sanctions after Indian nuclear tests in 1998, which embargoed the engine originally intended to power the helicopter. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Messerschmitt is a famous German aircraft manufacturer, known primarily for their World War II fighter aircraft, notably the Bf 109 and Me 262. ...

Deliveries of the 300 machines on order finally commenced in 2002, a full ten years after the prototype's first flight, and nearly twenty years after the programme was initiated. The Indian Coast Guard became the first service to induct Dhruv helicopters into service. This was followed by induction by the Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force. Seventy five Dhruvs were delivered to the Indian armed forces by 2007 and plans to produce forty helicopters yearly. Indian Coast Guards coat of Arms. ... The Indian Army is one of the armed forces of India and has responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ...

Chile has issued a RFP for 5.5 tonne, twin engined new generation helicopter and HAL is participating in the competition with its Dhruv helicopter. HAL had conducted a live demonstration of Dhruv equipped with advanced cockpit, electronic warfare suite and surveillance pod in Chile. Four Dhruv choppers were involved in a wide range of applications for evaluation with the demonstration clocking a total of 107 hours. It flew to high altitudes, hot and desert conditions, carried out ship deck landing at Valparaiso, search and rescue at 12,500 ft above mean sea level at a temperature of 2° C as well as long distance ferry flights. HAL will also sign an agreement with Bolivia for two Dhruv helicopters.^[2] Peru has shown interest in the Dhruv helicopter.^[3] The Dhruv is also being offered to Turkey and Malaysia. Countries like Turkey, Chile, Venezuela and Bolivia have also shown interest in the civilian variant of the Dhruv^[4]. HAL has received orders for one civilian variant from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) and two from the Jharkhand government.^[5].

A Weapon System Integrated (WSI) Dhruv is under development for the Indian Military services.It will have stub wings fitted to carry up to eight anti-armour missiles, four air-to-air missiles or four rocket pods for 70mm and 68mm rockets. The WSI variant will also have FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared), CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera and a target acquisition system with thermal sight and laser rangefinder.

In December 2006, Nexter Systems (formerly Giat) was awarded a contract for the installation of the THL 20 20mm gun turret on the first 20 Indian forces Dhruv helicopters. The turret is armed with the M621 low-recoil cannon and is combined with a helmet-mounted sight.^[6]

Air Ambulance variant of the Dhruv

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has placed an order for 12 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr Upadhyay said the helicopters will have top-of-the-line medical infrastructure, including ventilators and two stretchers.^[7] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

The helicopter was fitted with the more powerful Shakti engine developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Turbomeca. HAL has started production of the engine.^[8] The first test flight of the Dhruv with the new engine and the weaponised version took place on 16 August 2007.^[9] is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is believed to be close to securing an order for supplying 12 advanced light helicopter (ALH) ambulances to the armed forces. HAL Dhruv ambulances, which will have all the emergency medical equipment for the treatment of injured soldiers. The HAL Dhruv ambulances will be used by the Armed Forces’ Medical Services.^[10]

Operators

Military operators

Indian Army's HAL Dhruv.

Indian Navy's HAL Dhruv.

 India

• Indian Army
• Indian Air Force
• Indian Navy
• Indian Coast Guard

 Israel

• Ministry of Defense (Israel)

 Nepal

• Nepalese Army Air Service

 Bolivia

• Military of Bolivia Air Force[1]

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 146 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Para drop operation using HAL Dhruv helicopter. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 146 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Para drop operation using HAL Dhruv helicopter. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 220 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:[1] Image by B. Harry From http://www. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 220 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:[1] Image by B. Harry From http://www. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... The Indian Army is one of the armed forces of India and has responsibility for land-based military operations. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ... The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. ... Indian Coast Guards coat of Arms. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... The Ministry of Defense (or Ministry of Defence) of the government of Israel, is the governmental department responsible for defending the State of Israel from internal and external military threats. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Nepal. ... There is no Air Force in Nepal. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Bolivia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require rewriting and/or reformatting. ...

Civil operators

 India

Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC)
Chattisgarh State Governments
Jharkhand State Governments for VIP transportation & Police
Karnataka State Governments for VIP transportation
Geological Survey of India (GSI) (on order)
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) (on order)
Image File history File links Flag_of_India. ... Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) (incorporated on June 23, 1993) is a public sector petroleum company based in Dehradun, India. ... Chhattisgarh (छत्तीसगढ़), a state in central India, formed when the sixteen southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained statehood on November 1, 2000. ... , Jharkhand   (Hindi: झारखंड, Bengali: ঝাড়খণ্ড,IPA: ) is a state in eastern India. ... , Karnātakā   (Kannada: ಕನಾ೯ಟಕ) (IPA: ) is one of the four southern states of India. ... Geological Survey of India (GSI), established in 1851, is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world, and is a premier organization of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. ...

Incidents

• In November 2004, one of the two ALH Dhruvs sold to the Royal Nepal Army experienced a hard landing, which damaged its undercarriage and landing gear. The damage was subsequently repaired by a team from HAL. ^[11]
• On November 25, 2005, an ALH which was being ferried for delivery to the Jharkhand government had a hard landing near Hyderabad the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, though none of the occupants was harmed. In a statement, HAL said, "In a recent incident, when the tail rotor of one Dhruv developed some technical snag near Hyderabad, the pilot executed a safe landing without any injury to any of the passengers. The incident undoubtedly proved the safety features of ALH including crash worthiness & ease of handling emergency procedures. It was also proved beyond doubt that the design characteristics of ALH are unique as the crew and passengers descended from 5000 feet and came out of the helicopter without a scratch."^[12] Nevertheless, the 65-strong fleet operated by the three armed forces and Coast Guard was grounded briefly, while HAL investigated serious tail-rotor defects, which were later fixed.
• On February 2, 2007, an ALH from the Sarang helicopter display team of the Indian Air Force crashed outside Bangalore, killing its co-pilot Sqn Ldr Priye Sharma and wounding pilot Wg Cdr Vikas Jetley.^[13] HAL has dismissed suggestions of another material failure.^{[citation needed]} A crash inquiry by the IAF's Training Command and HAL found it to be a pilot error. The pilot miscalculated the height before pulling up during the aerobatic show. The helicopter team performed in the air show.^{[citation needed]}

is the 329th day of the year (330th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... , Jharkhand   (Hindi: झारखंड, Bengali: ঝাড়খণ্ড,IPA: ) is a state in eastern India. ... “Andhra” redirects here. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Sarang is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force, one of only two in the world, the other being the Blue Eagles. ... The Indian Air Force (भारतीय वायु सेना : Bharatiya Vayu Sena) is the air-arm of the Armed Forces of India and has the prime responsibility of conducting aerial warfare and securing the Indian airspace. ...

Specifications (Dhruv)

Turbomeca Ardiden 1H / Shakti engine

General characteristics

• Crew: 1 or 2 pilots
• Capacity: 4-12 passengers
• Length: 52 ft 0.8 in (15.87 m)
• Rotor diameter: 43 ft 3.7 in (13.20 m)
• Height: 12 ft 4 in (4.05 m)
• Disc area: 1,472 ft² (137 m²)
• Empty weight: 5515 lb (2502 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 12,125 lb (5500 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Turbomeca Ardiden 1H / Shakti turboshafts , 1200 shp (900 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 175 mph (280 km/h)
• Combat radius: 200 mi (320 km)
• Ferry range: 516 mi (827 km)
• Service ceiling: 19,680 ft (5,865 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,771 ft/min (8.9 m/s)
• Power/mass: 0.20 hp/lb (329.73 W/kg)

Armament

8 Anti-tank guided missiles, 4 Air-to-air missiles, 4 x 68 mm Rocket Pods (Air-Force & Army), 2 Torpedoes, Depth charges or Anti-ship missiles Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 2. ... In aviation, the Maximum Take-Off Weight (or MTOW) is the maximum weight with which an aircraft is allowed to try to achieve flight. ... Founded in 1938, Turbomeca is one of the leading manufacturers of low and medium-power gas turbine for helicopters. ... Schematic diagram showing the operation of a simplified turboshaft engine. ... VNO of an aircraft is the V speed which refers to the velocity of normal operation. ... In aeronautics, the service ceiling is the maximum density altitude where the best rate of climb airspeed will produce a 100 feet per minute climb(twin engine) and 50 feet(single engine) at maximum weight while in a clean configuration with maximum continuous power. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Power-to-weight ratio is a measure commonly used when comparing various vehicles (or engines), including automobiles, motorcycles and aircraft. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) or weapon (ATGW) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. ... A US Navy VF-103 Jolly Rogers F-14 Tomcat fighter launches an AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missile. ... The torpedo, historically called a locomotive torpedo, is a self-propelled explosive projectile weapon, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater toward a target, and designed to detonate on contact or in proximity to a target. ... Depth Charge used by U.S. Navy later in World War II The depth charge is the oldest anti-submarine weapon. ... Image:RBS-15 missile launch. ...

Gallery

Sarang Helicopter Acrobatics team's display at the Farnborough Air Show, 2006. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x565, 57 KB) Taken and donated by John Mullen I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Sarang is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force, one of only two in the world, the other being the Blue Eagles. ... Farnborough 2006 Farnborough 2006 The Red Arrows in formation at Farnborough The Airbus A380, at Farnborough The Farnborough International Airshow is a seven-day international trade fair for the aerospace business which is held biannually in England. ...	Dhruv Display at the Farnborough Air Show 2006. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x715, 90 KB) Taken and donated by John Mullen I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...	The HAL Dhruv Image File history File links Dhruv_side. ...	Frontal view of the Dhruv Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Naval utility version Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 220 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:[1] Image by B. Harry From http://www. ...	Sarang Image File history File linksMetadata Sarang_2. ...	Sarang aerobatic team performing Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 768 pixel, file size: 202 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Source:[1] Image by B. Harry From http://www. ... Sarang is the helicopter formation display team of the Indian Air Force, one of only two in the world, the other being the Blue Eagles. ...	The Dhruv operated in Israel Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• HAL Dhruv Versions
• Dhruv – Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) @ Army-technology.com
• Sarang helicopter display team performing at Aero-India
• Video of Dhruv helicopter
• Video of HAL Dhruv performing at Farnborough 2006
• Video of Dhruv at Paris airshow 2007
• Digital cockpit of HAL Dhruv
• Dhruv at Farnborough 2006
• Armed version of Dhruv
• HAL Dhruv
• HAL Dhruv (Air Force)
• HAL Dhruv(Navy)
• HAL Dhruv(Army)
• HAL's ALH Dhruv Clears High-Altitude Tests; Will Join Siachen Glacier fleet
• Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) - DHRUV IAI website
• Dhruv on wings at Paris

Related content

Related development

• HAL Light Combat Helicopter

Comparable aircraft

• Agusta A109
• Bell 222/230
• Bell 427
• Eurocopter EC 145
• Sikorsky S-76

Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... Previously known as the LAH (Light attack helicopter), and not to be confused with the Lancer LAH (Light attack Helicopter), which is a derivative of the Cheetah helicopter, HALs recently rechristened Light Combat Helicopter (LCH ) is a dedicated combat and gunship variant of the existing Advanced Light Helicopter(Dhruv... The Agusta A109 is a helicopter manufactured by Agusta (now AgustaWestland) of Italy. ... A Bell 222 Bell 222U The Bell 222 is a helicopter built by Bell Helicopter Textron. ... The Bell Model 427 is a twin-engine civil utility helicopter, a derivative of the Bell Model 206-L4 LongRanger and Model 407. ... EC145 Eurocopter EC145 of the Rega. ... The Sikorsky S-76 was designed, from the wheels up as a commercial helicopter. ...

Related lists

• List of helicopters

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