Agence France-Presse, India carried out the first flight Aug. 16 of a weaponized combat helicopter it is developing to equip its own armed forces as well as potential overseas customers, including Turkey.
State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) said the Dhruv (Pole Star) light helicopter was a “birthday gift” to the nation that celebrated 60 years of independence from Britain on Aug. 15.
India is trying to build military muscle in step with its increasing economic clout as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies after China.
The country, which has in the past developed the Chetak, Cheetah and Lancer light helicopters, has fought three wars with neighboring Pakistan.
The multirole Dhruv, equipped with “fire-and-forget” air-to-air missile capability and advanced avionics, was test-flown at a HAL air field in Bangalore.
The all-terrain, all-weather helicopter comes with systems that provide visual imagery of terrain and targets in complete darkness, HAL officials said.
A pilot would merely need to look at the target and the helicopter’s 20 mm swivel turret gun would automatically point to where it needs to fire its 70 mm rockets. It will be equipped with anti-tank guided missiles later.
“It has got everything to make it a very lethal machine for our military,” HAL Chairman Ashok Baweja told reporters.
The Dhruv has been under development for 23 years since it was first announced in 1984 amid changing demands of the Indian military and funding problems.
U.S. sanctions after Indian nuclear tests in 1998 embargoed the engine originally intended to power the helicopter.
About 75 units of the unarmed version have been delivered to the Indian armed forces, Israel and Nepal since 2002.
India’s armed forces as well as the coast guard will likely generate demand for 250 of the choppers, while civilian users may buy 50 nonweaponized versions, making for a combined market worth 105 billion rupees ($2.55 billion), Baweja said.
HAL is also in competition with aerospace giants such as Eurocopter to win orders from Turkey, Chile, Peru and Bolivia which are studying its bids, Baweja said.
At 350 million rupees ($8.5 million) apiece, the Dhruv costs a million dollars less than rivals, he said.
The Dhruv is powered by a “Shakti” engine that HAL developed jointly with Turbomeca, of France’s Safran group, to help tackle terrain such as Siachin, reputed to be the world’s highest battlefield.
India and Pakistan engaged in a mini-war there that left hundreds dead and wounded in 1999.
Further trials are needed before the weaponized version is delivered to the military, Baweja said.
HAL, which manufactures combat aircraft including Russian MiGs and Sukhois and British-designed Jaguars under license, last year logged 80 billion rupees ($1.94 billion) in sales, a 40 percent increase from the previous year.
