Date:04/11/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/11/04/stories/2007110460971000.htm

National

Unhappy with Dhruv, Navy looks overseas

Ravi Sharma

BANGALORE: The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s inability to meet revised Naval Staff Qualitative Requirements on the indigenously Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv has made the Navy look overseas. It seeks to acquire a utility helicopter that will perform anti-submarine warfare and communication roles.

The Navy’s decision to send a request for information (RFI) to leading manufacturers, including Bell, Boeing and Eurocopter, has upset HAL officials, who say they have worked overtime to accommodate its specific requirements on this multirole, multicustomer helicopter.

Contract stalled

The Navy, which has eight Dhruvs in its inventory, indicated that it was considering procuring around 60 of them. But, according to HAL sources, the Navy has stalled on signing a contract.

The helicopter to be chosen for the Navy’s surface fleet, including the Godavari class of frigates, will replace some of the Sea Kings, HAL-built Chetaks and Dhruvs, and possibly even the Russian Kamov-25s. The HAL has received the RFI, which, however, does not specify the number of helicopters or the weight class.

The Navy has been unhappy with fleet serviceability of the Dhruv and even complained to the Defence Ministry. Though the HAL has taken steps, including setting up a dedicated maintenance, repair and overhaul facility for helicopters, and brought down the line replacement unit failure rate of the ALH fleet during the first seven months of 2007 to 5.5 per 100 hours of flying, the latest irritant is over the hingeless main rotor’s foldable blades.