The Hindu : HAL delivers Advanced Light Helicopter to Army

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 21, 2002

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HAL delivers Advanced Light Helicopter to Army
By Our Staff Reporter

Lt. Gen. R.S. Kadyan, Deputy Chief of Army Staff (middle), along with Maj. Gen. Charanjeet Singh receiving the key for the two-skid versions of the Advanced Light Helicopter from the HAL Chairman, N.R. Mohanty, in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

BANGALORE, MARCH 20. The Indian Army on Wednesday formally received the two-skid version of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), indigenously designed and developed by the public sector Defence undertaking, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) here. Two pre-production models of the ALH were delivered to the Army in January.

Built to meet the joint-user requirements of the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard, the ALH was developed in Bangalore, initially with consultancy support from MBB of Germany (now Eurocopter Deutschland).

Handing over the ALH documents, the HAL Chairman, N.R.Mohanty, said the Weapons Systems Integrated ALH would be delivered to the Army in two years. Of the 30 ALHs to be initially produced, 12 would be supplied to the Army. The civil version of the helicopter would be ready in a year, he added.

Mr. Mohanty said a programme to develop an indigenous engine for the ALH was on. The helicopter now ran on a French engine. The Deputy Chief of Army Staff (T&C), Lt. General R.S.Kadyan, who received the ALH documents from Mr. Mohanty, said the first two pre-production models of the ALH supplied to the Army were being used to train aviators. The new ALHs would be added to the existing fleet of helicopters. ``These will be deployed in different parts of the country, but the priority will be the western front,'' he said. Lt. Gen. Kadyan said the ALH was a truly versatile machine which would support the Indian armed forces deployed in difficult areas. Most of the hinterland, particularly in forward areas, were not well connected by roads. Besides animal transport and inland water transportation, the aerial route was the only way, he said.

Speaking on his years in the border areas, Lt. Gen. Kadyan recalled how the helicopter, the ``most versatile'', was always a morale booster to the forces. But the existing aircraft all had their shortcomings. While most lacked adequate manouevring capabilities, some could not fly during night and at high altitudes. ``These problems have now been overcome with the ALH,'' he noted.

The Director (Design and Development) of HAL, Ashok K.Baweja, said the skid variant Army ALH was the first indigenously designed rotorcraft to land at the highest helipads in the world and the first to reach an altitude of seven km.

``Army will also have the largest fleet with 120 ALHs being planned, 60 of them being utilities and the rest being weaponised,'' he said.

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