Indian Army bought choppers with technical flaws

[abdulrafi]

The 40 indigenously-built advanced light helicopters (ALHs) the Indian Army has bought for Rs 1,747 crore (Rs 356 million) have a technical flaw that prevents them from flying to heights of 6,500 metres, thus affecting operational preparedness in high altitude areas like the Siachen glacier, India's audit watchdog says."The ALH was not able to fly above 5,000 metres, though the army's requirement stipulated an ability to fly upto 6,500 metres. This deficiency was because of the limitation of the engine used in ALHs," the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) said in his report released on Friday. The army needs choppers of the ALH category for quick movement of troops and logistics in operational areas, including in the extreme weather conditions of the Siachen Glacier. The helicopters are also meant to enhance surveillance capabilities. The Indian Army bought the ALHs despite other shortcomings like unacceptably high vibration levels. According to the report, the army ordered the ALHs after its manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said it would develop a more powerful engine to replace the existing power plant. "HAL, however, failed to overcome the shortcomings in the ALH even after five years as of December 2006. The inability to fly above 5,000 metres was due to the inability of HAL to reduce the empty weight of the helicopter as had been assured to the government," the CAG report said. "The army is compelled to rely on the old fleet of single engine Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which are of more than 30 years old technology," it added. "Failure of the army to acquire suitable ALHs timely has led to considerable dealy in de-induction of old fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which may impact operational preparedeness of the army adversely, especially in high altitude areas in forward locations," the report maintained.

 

[ouiouiouiouiouioui]

some hidden agenda

 

[sudhir007]

Then what is this dhruv clear high attitude test way back in 2007

domain-b.com : ALH Dhruv clears high-altitude tests, will join Siachen fleet

Udhampur: India's advanced light helicopter (ALH) Dhruv has successfully cleared all test trials for regular high-altitude operations, especially in the Siachen glacier area of Jammu and Kashmir. The Dhruv was first inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1998.

According to IAF sources, Dhruv cleared "all test trials" for flying over the Siachen glacier without "any error," and will now join the fleet of Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, which make daily trips to the area providing support services for troops based there.

With the clearance, the Dhruv has been validated for high-altitude, low temperature flying, which is essential for the maintenance of supply lines to the region.

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore, manufactured chopper underwent a six-month long trial period with the Chandigarh-based Dhruv squadron, and flew under different weather conditions.

 

[Gabbar]

There is another thread open to this matter. Mods please merge these threads.

http://www.defence.pk/forums/india-defence/29714-indian-army-bought-choppers-technical-flaws.html