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Air Power HAL to go it alone with Light Utility Helicopter

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HAL to go it alone with Light Utility Helicopter

HAL had decided to go it alone with its Light Utility Helicopter, instead of co-producing it with a foreign manufacturer.

Flight Magazine quotes a senior HAL official as saying:

"We have gained a lot of experience and learnt a lot over the years manufacturing the Cheetah and Chetak, and then developing the Dhruv [advanced light helicopter]. There will be some degree of commonality in terms of systems with Dhruv and the LCH [light combat helicopter], but this will otherwise be a new helicopter."

HAL had earlier floated a tender inviting bids from "reputed TurboShaft Engine Manufacturers world over who would like to offer their engine along with associated instrumentation for integration on Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)."

The Indian Defense Ministry projected a requirement for 384 Light Utility Helicopters (LUH) in July 2008, to replace the existing fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters in the three service.

Of these, 197 are to be procured directly from a foreign supplier, but later serviced within India by HAL.

In addition, HAL was asked to develop 187 LUHs to meet the total requirement, either through license production of the winning bidder's model or the manufacture of an indigenously developed helicopter.

HAL displayed it LUH concept at Aero India 2009.

The 3t HAL concept will now be powered by a single HAL/Turbomeca Shakti engine. The aircraft will have a range of up to 500km (270nm) and a 500kg (1,100lb) payload.

First flight is scheduled for 2015.

HAL to go it alone with Light Utility Helicopter

 
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I can envisage india being a major defence exporter in the next 15 years.
 

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