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The ALH Dhruv choppers made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) have experienced a series of accidents, resulting in frequent fleet-wide suspensions.
The Advanced Light Helicopter (AHL) Dhruv has faced a series of accidents since 2023. (HAL)
The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, an indigenous chopper designed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has faced a series of accidents since 2023. However, the chairman of HAL has insisted that they have not been caused by any manufacturing or design defects.
Frequent crashes of the Dhruv helicopter have resulted in frequent fleet-wide groundings for investigations. In January, an Indian Coast Guard ALH Dhruv chopper on Sunday crashed while performing a training sortie in Gujarat’s Porbandar, killing three people onboard.
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Speaking to NDTV, DK Sunil, the Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, said the company was not responsible for the recent crashes. “Out of the four crashes that have happened, three in the Coast Guard and one in the Navy, three of them are because of other reasons. It is not manufacturing; it is not related to the design. There were issues either related to maintenance or in terms of the operation,” he said.
The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH-DHRUV) is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission new-generation helicopter. At least 338 Dhruv helicopters are in service with the Indian Armed Forces.
The Army and Air Force versions of the helicopters were grounded since the January crash and were cleared for operations in May. The armed forces had been facing a shortage of helicopters, but the Army resumed flying the ALH in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, as per reports.
Fracture Of Key Component Detected
However, Dr Sunil revealed that in the recent Porbandar crash, a fracture was found in the Non-Rotating Swashplate Bearing (NRSB), which is a key component of the helicopter’s rotor system that manages the pitch of the rotor blades to manage lift and direction of the chopper.
“That is something where we have a defect investigation committee which has gone into it. We saw a very clear distinction – the Army and the Air Force helicopters did not have this kind of defect, so we cleared them. They are flying now,” he told NDTV.
“We brought in all the gearboxes and we had a thorough check to see if there was any cracks. And we found that there was nothing in the Army and Air Force. In the Naval variant, we have looked at whether it was corrosion, stress, and so on. We also did deck landings. The usage pattern was different from the Air Force and the Army,” he said.
Coast Guard, Navy Choppers Yet To Return To Service
The HAL chairman also said a return of the Navy and Coast Guard Dhruv choppers to service will take a few months, as each chopper’s gearbox will need to be inspected and cleared before it can be put back into use. “This variant (Navy and Coast Guard) – there are about 29 of them. The Coast Guard has lost 3, and the Navy has lost 1. At the rate of 4-5 gearboxes per month, we should be able to do it in six to seven months,” he said.
Before the Porbandar crash, the ALH Dhruv faced several accidents since 2023. On September 2, 2024, a helicopter was launched to evacuate an injured crew member from the Motor Tanker Hari Leela off Porbandar, Gujarat. The helicopter had to make an emergency hard landing and ditched into sea. All crew members were killed.
About the Author
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
September 19, 2025, 22:44 IST
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