The HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), along with its derivative, Light Observation Helicopter (LOH), was designed and developed by the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC),[6] one of the R&D sections of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), for civilian and military applications. These are intended to replace license-built versions of Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama (designated Cheetah) and Aérospatiale Alouette III (designated Chetak) in service with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force.
The first seven-seater French-origin Alouette III helicopters were introduced by the IAF in 1962. A year later, in 1965, the HAL gave the IAF its first Alouette III, named HAL Chetak, produced under licence. Furthermore, HAL and France struck a contract in 1970 for the local production of the five-seater SA-315B Lama helicopters, which were later christened HAL Cheetah when they were delivered to the Indian Air Force in 1976.[7]
During the 1990s and the 2000s, the procurement of a modern successor to the aging HAL Cheetah and HAL Chetak helicopters of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force had been recognised as an impending need.[8] Multiple attempts at establishing a competitive tendering programme; one such effort specified a total of 197 utility helicopters for the Indian Army, 60 of which were to be directly purchased and the remaining 137 to be produced under licence by Indian aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).[8] However, this tender, in which the Eurocopter Fennec appeared to be the frontrunner against the rival Bell 407, eventually ended up being cancelled in response to allegations of irregularities in the selection process; Eurocopter was subsequently investigated and exonerated of any wrongdoing.[9][10] Consequently, new safeguards were implemented to ensure impartiality and the replacement effort was subsequently restarted.[8]
During July 2008, the Government of India circulated a request for proposals (RFP) to various helicopter companies, including AgustaWestland, Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter, Kamov and Sikorsky, for a fleet of 197 light utility helicopters to be purchased in a fly-away condition directly from the manufacturer in order to speed up their delivery.[8] Intended for military purposes, the potential contract was valued as a maximum of $750 million, of which 30 per cent was required to be invested within India under the government's policy of industrial offsets; HAL was also specified as to provide domestic maintenance activities for the fleet, who were reportedly also keen to manufacture further examples locally and further develop the selected type.[8] It had been initially hoped that trials would begin in 2009 and that helicopter deliveries could commence as early as 2010.[8][9]
By late 2008, Bell had announced its decision not to participate despite earlier considerations on offering a variant of their Bell 407 helicopter; according to Bell, the high offset requirements had made any bid less feasible and thus the company chose to withdraw from the Indian military market.[9] Rival firm Russian Helicopters, submitting its Kamov Ka-226T, was another major competitor for the competition.[11] Shortly after the selection of the Ka-226T to meet the requirement, during December 2015, an agreement was signed for the creation of a joint venture between Rostec, Russian Helicopters and HAL to manufacture the Ka-226T at a new factory to be built at Tumakuru, India.[12] Meanwhile, HAL, which had long held ambitions to design and produce such an aircraft, sought to establish a partnership with a Western manufacturer with considerable technical knowhow in the field; reportedly, Eurocopter were viewed as being the favourite, having already worked with HAL for decades on previous ventures, such as the Chetak and Cheetal that were being replaced.[13] However, the deal did not proceed as per reports in November 2023 and the entire requirement of light helicopters is expected to be fulfilled by indigenous designs.[7][14]
As of 2023, the Armed Forces plans to retire its fleet of around 400 HAL Chetak and Cheetah from 2027 onwards and is planning to replace them with the modern LUH. The Army has a deficiency of the light helicopters. There are around 190 units of these helicopters of which at least 25 are in MRO at HAL. This is down from 246 units in count. In fact, around 134 of the helicopters are about 30 to 50 years old and are nearing the end of its Total Technical Life (TTL). Also, Air Force operates 120 of these helicopters including the 18 of newer Cheetal variant. However, the first batch of the older helicopters has been retired already.[7][15]
Project launch
Light Utility Helicopter mock-up at Aero India 2011
During February 2009, India's defence ministry approved HAL's proposal to enter the design phase on an indigenous design that could potentially meet the requirements of the competition, as well to explore partnership arrangements.[16] HAL promptly performed preliminary design studies on a prospective 3-tonne light helicopter, powered by a single HAL/Turbomeca Shaktiturboshaft engine and possessing a range of up to 500km (270nm) and a payload capacity of up to 500kg (1,100lb). In March 2010, HAL announced that it had decided to proceed on the LUH project alone, without any international partner participating in its development.[17]
In February 2011, HAL unveiled a full-sized mockup of its LUH design.[18] At this point, the design of the LUH was officially frozen, but some elements, such as the powerplant, were yet to be selected for the type; additionally, the first prototype was anticipated to be constructed by the end of 2012 and the first flight was scheduled to occur during 2013.[18] By early November 2012, the bottom structure assembly of the LUH ground test vehicle had been completed. According to HAL, the manufacturing jigs, which are of a modular and gaugeless design, consisting of five assembly jigs and a coupling jig, had been developed and validated using Computer Aided Measurement System (CAMS) to establish high accuracy and stability, which produces smooth and flawless 'First off' structure build.[19]
HAL test pilot Wing Commander (retired) Unni K. Pillai and Director General of Army Aviation Corps Lt Gen AK Suri with LUH.
In March 2014, HAL promoted its LUH's capabilities as a civilian multirole helicopter, noting its ability to carry up to six passengers in an appropriate configuration.[20]
Test programme
Following repeated delays to the type's first flight, on 6 September 2016, the first prototype LUH PT-1 (ZG4620) conduct its maiden flight outside HAL's manufacturing facility at Bangalore.[5][21] The maiden flight, which was reportedly flown without any issues, marked the commencement of the flight test phase of development.[22]
On 14 February 2017, the first prototype performed an aerobatic display in front of members of the general public in Aero India 2017.[23] Based on the feedback from the first prototype, a more refined second prototype performed its first flight on 22 May 2017.[24][25]
The LUH flew at 6km altitude Envelope Expansion Test at Bengaluru, a critical certification requirement, in December 2018.[26] Subsequently, on 14 December 2018, the third prototype PT-3 had its maiden flight.[27] In 2018, the LUH finished hot weather trials at Nagpur. Testing at sea-level altitudes was completed at Chennai in 2018 and at Puducherry in 2019.[28]
Final test flight of Army Acceptance Trial on 7 October 2021.DG, Indian Coast Guard, V S Pathania, undertook his maiden sortie (45 minutes) in the indigenous LUH at HAL facility in Bengaluru.
In January 2019, the LUH successfully completed cold weather trials.[29] The LUH undertook successful high altitude hot weather trials between 24 August and 2 September 2019.[28] By 7 February 2020, three prototypes had cumulatively performed over 550 flights.[30] On 7 February 2020, the LUH received its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) from the Ministry of Defence's (MoD) department of Defence Research and Development.[31][32]
The Indian Army has requested a final demonstration trial prior to the LUH goes into mass production. HAL announced the completion of the final demonstration trial on 9 September 2020, which involved envelope expansion, performance, flying qualities, payload and landing capabilities at the highest altitudes of Siachen Glacier.[33] The Final Operational Clearance (FOC) is planned for 2021, following tests focused on its automatic flight control system (AFCS).[34]
During an official visit on 7 October 2021, Director General of Army Aviation CorpsLt Gen AK Suri flew the final test sortie in Light Utility Helicopter which successfully completed the Army Acceptance Trial. HAL LUH is now ready for induction by the Indian Armed Forces.[35] From August 2022, HAL will start flight trial of limited series production (LSP) platform.[36]
The Indian Coast Guard Director General V S Pathania lead a delegation of officials to Helicopter Division of HAL, during which he undertook a 45 minute sortie in LUH. ICG is evaluating replacement of Chetak helicopters in fleet with the LUH.[37]
By 2021, All certification activities like Ground testing, Ground Test Vehicle endurance runs, system testing, Flight testing including hot weather trials, cold weather trials, sea level trials and hot weather high altitude trials was completed and the helicopter design met all the Preliminary Joint Services Qualitative Requirements (PJSQR) of the Armed Forces.[38]
Manufacturing
While limited series production (LSP) will be completed from Bengaluru, HAL intends to perform mass production of the LUH at its new helicopter manufacturing complex at Tumakur that will have the capacity to produce helicopters of 3 ton to 12 ton category. The Tumakur assembly line will complete around 30 LUHs per year by 2019–2020; upon enacting Phase II, which will take another three-four years, production would be ramped up to 60 helicopters per year from 2023.[21][39]
Limited Series Production LUH being shown to Air Marshal B Manikantan.
The Tumakur assembly line will become fully operational from March 2022.[40] As per a government report from the Rajya Sabha, the Army and IAF will get two LSP each from 2022-23. After that HAL will start rolling out series production (SP) variants.[41] The gearbox was developed by Microtec company located in Hyderabad, while the ring gear is built by Shanti Gears and transmission by HAL. Avionics hardware is supplied by Chennai based Data patterns and HAL worked on the software. With supplies from many other Indian companies, HAL plans to take the indigenous content to over 60 percent.[42]
The Ministry of Defence placed an initial order of 12 Light Utility Helicopters out of which 6 are for Indian Army and another 6 for the Indian Air Force. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 2 November 2021 approved purchase of 12 Limited Series Production (LSP) variant of LUH. The Indian Armed Forces will purchase 175-400 production variant helicopters.[43][40] The 12 LSP aircraft is expected to cost ₹1,500 crore (equivalent to ₹17billionorUS$200million in 2023). The delivery which was expected to begin in August 2022 was delayed due to issues with the certification of its autopilot system.[7][15]
The delivery of LSP variants is expected from December 2024 after the delay. As of November 2023, the Army also plans to place an initial order worth ₹45,000 crore (US$5.4billion) for over 90 helicopters and has a total requirement of around 250 helicopters.[44] As of November 2023 a full fledged order for the three branches of Armed Forces is expected to be finalized within the next 18-20 months, with deliveries projected to commence from 2026 onward.[7][14]
In September 2024, a report by The Hindu confirmed that the Army has a requirement of 225 units of LUH and a deal of 110 units is in the cost negotiation stage.[45]
Design
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (August 2017)
The HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a 3-tonne class highly agile new generation light helicopter. According to HAL, it possesses a cruise speed of 235km/h, maximum speed of 260km/h, service ceiling of up to 6.5km, a range of 350km with maximum take-off weight of 3.12 tonne and an empty weight of 1.91 tonne.[18] The LUH will be capable of accommodating a maximum of two pilots and six passengers, all of which shall be seated on crash-worthy seats; externally, it is capable of carrying cargoes of up to 1 tonne under-slung. LUH with glass cockpit[46] will be able to undertake various missions, including emergency medical services (EMS), troop transport, utility, search and rescue (S&R), VVIP, aerial reconnaissance and surveillance missions.[18][22]
LUH is powered by a single 750 KW rated Shakti-1U turboshaft engine derived from Safran Ardiden, co-developed by HAL and Turbomeca.[47] It supports dual channel Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system along with backup fuel control system. The helicopter will be equipped with a glass cockpit featuring a Smart Cockpit Display System (SCDS) along with a skid-based landing gear arrangement.[18] LUH is the only helicopter in the 3 ton class to have foldable rotors.[42] HAL also has HTSE-1200 under development to replace Shakti-1U engines with an indigenous solution.[48]
LUH is equipped with Smart Cockpit Display System (Glass Cockpit), state-of-the-art HUMS (Health & Usage Monitoring System).[38]
HAL on 20 October 2022, awarded the contract for design and development of night vision goggles for LUH to MKU. It will be powered by Generation 3 (GEN III) technology.[49] The development will be handled by Netro Optronics division at MKU.[50]
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian public sector aerospace and defence company, headquartered in Bangalore (Bengaluru). Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and largest aerospace and defence manufacturers in the world. HAL began aircraft manufacturing as early as 1942 with licensed production of Harlow PC-5, Curtiss P-36 Hawk and Vultee A-31 Vengeance for the Indian Air Force. HAL currently has 11 dedicated Research and development (R&D) centres and 21 manufacturing divisions under 4 production units spread across India. HAL is managed by a board of directors appointed by the President of India through the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. In 2024, the company was given Maharatna status. HAL is currently involved in the designing and manufacturing of fighter jets, helicopters, jet engine and marine gas turbine engine, avionics, hardware development, spares supply, overhauling and upgrading of Indian military aircraft.
The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by French aircraft company Sud Aviation. During its production life, it proved to be a relatively popular rotorcraft; including multiple licensed manufacturers, more than 2,000 units were built.
The EurocopterAS565 Panther is the military version of the Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin medium-weight multi-purpose twin-engine helicopter. The Panther is used for a wide range of military roles, including combat assault, fire support, anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue, and medical evacuation.
An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their heavy armament they are sometimes called helicopter gunships.
The HAL Tejas is an Indian single-engine, delta wing, multirole combat aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Navy. Tejas made its first flight in 2001 and entered into service with the IAF in 2015. In 2003, the aircraft was officially named 'Tejas'. Currently Tejas is the smallest and lightest in its class of supersonic combat aircraft.
The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requirement for design changes, budget restrictions, and sanctions placed on India following the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The name comes from a Sanskrit origin word dhruv which means unshakeable or firm.
The Kamov Ka-226 is a small, twin-engine Russian utility helicopter. The Ka-226 features an interchangeable mission pod, rather than a conventional cabin, allowing the use of various accommodation or equipment configurations. The Ka-226 entered service in 2002.
The Turbomeca TM 333 is a turboshaft engine manufactured by French company Turbomeca and designed for helicopters weighing 4-5 tonnes. It first ran in August 1981 and was introduced commercially in the mid-1980s. It was the first Turbomeca engine to use a single stage turbine, making it more compact than its predecessors. In its original design, the engine was rated at 750 continuous horsepower, though it was designed to allow for future power increases, and the later 2B2 variant made 1,100 horsepower.
The Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama is a French single-engined helicopter. It combines the lighter Aérospatiale Alouette II airframe with Alouette III components and powerplant. The Lama possesses exceptional high altitude performance.
The GTRE GTX-35VS Kaveri is an afterburning turbofan project under development by the Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), a lab under the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Bengaluru, India. An Indian design, the Kaveri was originally intended to power production models of the HAL Tejas Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. However, the Kaveri programme failed to satisfy the necessary technical requirements on time and was officially delinked from the Tejas programme in September 2008.
The HAL Prachand is an Indian multi-role light attack helicopter designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) under Project Light Combat Helicopter (LCH). It has been ordered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Army's Aviation Corps (AAC). On 3 October 2022, the LCH was formally inducted into the IAF and was officially named "Prachand".
The Safran Ardiden is a 1,400–2,000 hp (1,000–1,500 kW) turboshaft designed and produced by Safran Helicopter Engines for 5–8 t (11,000–18,000 lb) single and twin-engine helicopters. Launched in 2003 as a more powerful TM 333, it first ran in 2005 and was introduced in 2007.
The Indian Multi Role Helicopter (IMRH) is a medium-lift helicopter currently under development by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Armed Forces. It is designed for multiple roles, air assault, air-attack, anti-submarine, anti-surface, military transport and VIP transport roles. IMRH is aimed to replace all the current Mil Mi-17 and Mil Mi-8 helicopters across the Indian Armed Forces.
This is a timeline of the development of the HAL Tejas, a light-weight, multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
The Army Aviation Corps (AAC) is the youngest arm of the Indian Army, being formally designated on 1 November 1986. The Army Aviation Corps units are designated as Squadrons. Each squadron generally consists of two Flights. Reconnaissance (Recce) and Observation flights might be part of squadrons or operate independently. The latter do not have a parent squadron and are designated by an (I) in their name.
The KAI KUH-1 Surion is a twin-engine, transport utility helicopter developed primarily by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), Agency for Defense Development (ADD) and Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) jointly with Eurocopter. In 2006, the research and development phase of the Korea Helicopter Project - Korea Utility Helicopter (KHP-KUH), costing around ₩1.3 trillion, was launched by the Agency for Defense Development in 2006. In 2012, full-scale production of the Surion commenced; KAI has been designated as the principal manufacturer of the type.
The Indian Air Force Test Pilot School is a unit of the Indian Air Force (IAF) that evaluates aircraft and systems for induction into user organisations. Most new aircraft types and major airborne systems must have ASTE's stamp of approval to be considered fit for service in India. While many countries have testing facilities of one kind or the other, training of flight test personnel is not often imparted in them. ASTE's Air Force Test Pilots School (AFTPS) is only the fifth such institution in the world.
The HAL Rudra also known as ALH-WSI, is an armed version of the HAL Dhruv utility helicopter which is designed and produced by the Indian aerospace manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The HAL HTSE-1200 is a turboshaft engine under development by India's Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is aimed at 3.5 ton single engine class and 5-8 ton twin engine class helicopter configurations. India will need 5,000-6,000 helicopters to operate in 2020s. This will be an indigenous design giving engine alternatives for the HAL-developed LUH, ALH and LCH. The first run of engine was conducted in February 2018 when it achieved 76% of the rpm required.
References
↑ "Rotary Wing". Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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