The Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi today handed over an indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) – Dhruv – built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to the Prime Minister of Nepal Mr. Sushil Koirala at Kathmandu. The copter will be used by Nepalese Army. HAL team lead by Mr. T. Suvarna Raju, Managing Director, HAL (Helicopter Complex) was present on the occasion.
“This is in line with PM’s thrust on `Make in India’ and the Government’s policy of neighbourhood”, said Dr. R.K. Tyagi Chairman, HAL. The Company’s technical support team is positioned at Kathmandu to provide maintenance and logistics support. Earlier, India had provided two Dhruv helicopters to Nepalese Army in November last year, adds Dr. Tyagi.
Dhruv helicopter in Mark-III version with Shakti engines and advanced glass cockpit and avionics would immensely benefit Nepal, known for its mountainous terrain and adverse environmental conditions.
The helicopter has a proven track record in both military and civil operations. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators. Dhruv has also been exported to Ecuador, Mauritius and Maldives. The Ecuador Air Force (FAE) operates five Dhruv helicopters with their president choosing to fly in one of them. Dhruv is particularly useful in meeting the arduous tasks in difficult terrains.
Dhruv helicopters played a key role in search and rescue operations during the 2004 tsunami, the 2010 flash floods at Leh, the 2011 earthquake in Sikkim, the biggest ever rescue operation by helicopters undertaken by IAF in flood and rain-hit areas of Uttarakhand in June-2013 and Jammu & Kashmir flood relief operation in September-2014. Dhruv is being operated by Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, BSF and State governments since 2002. More than 140 Dhruv helicopters are in operation logging more than 1, 20,900 flight hours.
Dhruv is a multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in 5.5 tonne weight class and meets Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) specifications. It has demonstrated its capability in long distance flights, vertical climb and manoeuvring. Dhruv is an all-weather helicopter which can carry 10-16 people at heights of 10,000 feet.
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