New Delhi: Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv is in news again, and again for negative reasons. The chopper crashed yesterday with three people on board crashed following a "hard landing" in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K)'s Kishtwar district. A technician was killed and two pilots were injured during the crash landing.
In the last two months, three mishaps have occurred involving an ALH Dhruv.
According to the statement released by the Udhampur-based Northern Command, an Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The recent crash of an indigenously developed Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) variant in J&K, have raised serious reliability issues with 300-odd such helicopters under operation across the three armed forces and the Coast Guard.
These crashes and mishaps led to the entire ALH fleet being periodically grounded for varying periods to complete rigorous checks on them before clearing them for take-off.
A total 336 ALHs in all its four variant types – developed and series manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) – that were currently in service with all three-armed services and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), were undergoing extensive checks, before receiving clearance to operate.
The indigenously designed and developed ALH-DHRUV is a twin engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in the 5.5 ton weight class.
The basic Helicopter is produced in skid version and wheeled version. Dhruv is "type –Certified" for Military operations by the Centre for Military Airworthiness Certification (CEMILAC) and civil operations by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
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