Dhruv clocks 1,00,000 flying hours

Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv achieved a new milestone by completing flying a total of one lakh hours today. The land mark has been achieved in the early hours today with the flying of helicopter IA 3104 of 301 Army Aviation Sqn (Spl Ops).
“One lakh hours flown by the machine is an awesome feat to achieve. It is a dream machine for any pilot," an HAL release said, quoting Lt Col Kapil Agarwal who completed the landmark flying hours.
ALH is being operated by Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, BSF and state governments since 2002. Currently, more than 132 Dhruv helicopters are serving the Indian Defence Forces. HAL has also built 12 civil variant Dhruv helicopters and they are being used by its customers. The Ecuador Air Force (FAE) operates six Dhruv helicopters with their President choosing to fly in them. (Edited Release)

Rudra to receive IOC officially today | Begins validation flights ahead of Aero India, along with LCH

PHOTOS: SUDHAKAR JAIN | THE NEW INDIAN EXPRESS | SHOOT COURTESY: P SOUNDARA RAJAN, MD (HELICOPTERS), HAL | LOCATION: HAL HELICOPTER  DIVISION

 By Anantha Krishnan M

Express News Service

Bangalore: Rudra, the weapon system integrated (WSI) Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), MK-IV, along with the Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) began the flight validation exercises ahead of Aero India. In an interview to Express on Saturday, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL’s) Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr (retd) Unni Pillai said that both choppers are in fine form and ready for the thrillers during the show.He said Rudra will be HAL’s star performer during the show, with LCH leaving no effort to match up to the big brother.

“This air show is special to us because we are handing over two Rudras to the Army Aviation. Like last year, one LCH will be painted in a special camouflaged painting and put on duty at the static display area,” Unni said.HAL is also gearing up for an in-house event on Sunday, when the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) officially gives the green signal to Rudra in the form an Initial Operational Clearance (IOC).

“Rudra is a marvel and we have cleared all systems and weapons. The Army can now fly Rudra for all support roles during frontline operations. It is definitely a significant moment for Indian military programme,” CEMILAC CEO Dr K Tamilmani told Express.

Barring the air-to-ground (A-2-G) missile, which the Services are yet to finalise, Rudra has a mix of weapons already cleared for operation. An air-to-air Mistral missile (MBDA, France) with 10 km range, 20 mm cannon (Nexter, France) and 700-mm rockets (Belgium make) form Rudra’s killer menu.

“The Helina which was initially meant for Rudra as a A-2-G missile, is currently undergoing changes at DRDO facilities in Hyderabad. It will then have to be tested on ground and later onboard Rudra, before the Services accepts it. We are confident that Helina will make it finally to Rudra,” Tamil Mani said.

HAL chairman R K Tyagi felt that Rudra will give the much-needed brand identity to the company during Aero India. “The Dhruv programme has gone through various good and bad phases. But, ultimately what emerges as a product matters, and Rudra is an answer. It has one of the world’s finest features embedded onboard and we will be exhibiting the same to the customers during the show. The IOC is a morale-boost to team HAL,” Tyagi said.

Tomorrow: Lines, pilots fear

Copyright@The New Indian Express

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FEB 2 JINXED? Another crash on February 2! Army Aviation Corps lost two pilots when a Cheetah helicopter nosedived into a civilian area near Gandhinagar airfield on February 2. Military sources say that the The Cheetah attached to the Jodhpur air base was on its way to Bangalore to partake in Aero India 2011. Army Aviation was planning to position it in the static display area. The pilots, Major Atul Garje and Major Banupratap Gupta of the 669 Army Aviation squadron, Nagtalao, Jodhpur, took off from their base two days ago. After a brief break at Nashik, they took off on February 2 morning to Bangalore, with a possible break in Goa. On February 2, 2007 an ALH of Sarang team had crashed killing Sqn Ldr Priye Sharma and sending Wg Cdr Vikas Jetly into a coma for four years. Jetly died on January 11, 2010. Wednesday's crash, according to initial reports, is possibly due to a technical snag. R.I.P. 

NISHANT FLIGHT TRIALS: Nishant, the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has successfully completed the series of confirmatory trials conducted by the Indian Army at Chandan Range Pokharan recently.         The successful flight trials were conducted by the Army before taking delivery of a set of four Nishant – UAVs together with ground systems.  The performance of the pay load sensors in particular has been better than even the imported UAVs with the Army. It is expected that more of such equipment will soon be purchased by the users.  (Press release)

EMBRAER@AERO INDIA: Embraer will display its full portfolio of products – from executive, airline, defense and security segments – at Aero India 2011, the first time these aircraft have appeared at an air show in India. “We are coming to India with a Phenom 100, Phenom 300, Lineage 1000, and the latest jet in our suite – the Legacy 650 – which was certified in October 2010. All these will be at the static display area. This time, we are focusing clearly on the executive jet segment and on the defense and security area,” an Embraer official tells Aviation Week. With a strong presence in the Indian market, Embraer has placed products with both national government agencies and private companies. The company has made particularly significant progress in the executive aviation sector. Key customers in India which operate the Phenom 100 include Aviators India Pvt. Ltd. and Invision Pvt. Ltd. The latter received the first two Phenom 100s in India, part of a total order for 18 Phenom 100s and two Phenom 300s. (Full Report)

MICA

MBDA EYES IAF: In an effort to expand in the Indian defense market, European missile maker MBDA is eyeing the immediate needs of the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO). Loic Piedevache, head of MBDA India, told reporters Jan. 31 that the company wants to position itself as a leading local player backing India’s missile programs. “It could be through joint ventures, co-development, transfer of technology and through enhanced cooperation with Indian defense public sector undertaking,” Piedevache says. “Considering the defense and aerospace growth in India, we are offering some of the best systems. We are keen to invest more in Indian market.”

NEW BEL UNIT IN KERALA: Indian defense public sector undertaking (PSU) Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) expects to open its new facility in the southern Indian state of Kerala, on Feb. 8. Research and Development Director I.V. Sarma tells Aviation Week that the facility, known as the Product Support Center, will be in the high-technology park promoted by the Kerala government and run by Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corp. Defense Minister A.K. Antony will open the facility, which is at Kalamassery, near Kochi. BEL is said to have invested around Rs 6 crore ($1.3 million) for the center to build infrastructure and test equipment. (Full Report)

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Star 'n' Sun: A rare photograph of Dhruv captured against sunset

Photo: Army Aviation