Amid increasing India-Pakistan tensions, the government has cleared “for operations” the fleet of nearly 240 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force, almost four months after they were grounded following a fatal crash in Gujarat.
The decision was made based on the recommendations presented by the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee that examined technical issues on the chopper following the crash of a Coast Guard helicopter in January that killed two pilots and an aircrew diver.
The Navy and Coast Guard’s ALHs, however, will remain grounded.
“The Dhruv ALH army and IAF versions are cleared for operations based on the recommendations of the defect investigation committee,” Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the helicopter manufacturer, said in a statement.
A time-bound plan for resuming operations has been worked out with the users, the state-run aerospace manufacturer said.
The development comes at a critical juncture amid rising tensions with Pakistan, which has triggered fears of an all-out war between the two states.
The Indian Army, IAF, Navy, and Coast Guard together operate about 330 ALHs. Of them, the Indian Army operates 96 ALHs and 75 armed versions called Rudra. The Air Force operates around 70 ALHs. The Navy and the Coast Guard operate the rest.
Also, somewhat intriguingly, the army had already begun operating the ALHs in Jammu and Kashmir to address the urgent operational requirements following the Pahalagam terror attack that killed 26 people.
Many people had questioned on social media how the Indian Army was operating these helicopters when they were officially grounded pending an investigation.
Later, reports quoted the Indian Army as saying that a “partial clearance” was granted to operate a few Dhruv helicopters in the Kashmir valley.
Now, the official clearance from the government will remove the technical and bureaucratic hurdles in their operations.
This is significant as ALH Dhruv is the main workhorse of the Indian Army and IAF and performs a host of vital tasks, including—but not limited to—troops and equipment transfer, reconnaissance, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and intelligence gathering.
The chopper can also perform light combat roles and anti-submarine warfare, and indirectly help in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD).
The Fatal Gujarat Crash That Grounded The ALH Fleet
The grounding of nearly 330 ALH choppers came after a Coast Guard helicopter crashed in Porbandar, Gujarat, on January 5, killing three personnel on board.
A high-powered panel later found that a swashplate fracture caused the crash.
“The issue is with the design of the swashplate assembly. There is no redundancy in these components. It could be weeks before the helicopters fly again,” sources told the EurAsian Times last month.
A swashplate in a helicopter is a mechanical device that translates the pilot’s flight control inputs into the motion of the rotor blades, allowing for changes in pitch and roll. It consists of a stationary outer plate and a rotating inner plate, which work together to control the angle of the rotor blades as they spin.
The ALH’s swashplate arrangement was heralded as a breakthrough development. All the pitch change rods and swashplates are covered by a titanium drum known as the stub shaft. This titanium drum was supposed to protect the control rods from battle damage and reduce the mast’s height. No other helicopters in this category used such a design.
Helicopter pilot and the Flight Commander of the first Naval ALH flight, Commander YP Marathe (retired), underscored that this covering means that the “mandatory daily inspection of the control rods can never be done on the IDS (integrated dynamics system akin to a reduction gearbox), so any incipient crack or defect remains hidden until a catastrophic failure occurs.”
In his blog post, Commander Marathe said: “The ALH rigid rotor has a very high virtual hinge offset (close to 17%). Due to this offset, the control forces (or the Mast Moment) in turns and maneuvers can exceed the airframe limits, leading to possible incipient or unrecorded exceedances. Cumulative stresses will lead to catastrophic failures over time.” He added: “If one of the rods connecting to the swashplate breaks, then the pilot’s movement on the cockpit controls will not be transmitted to the main rotor. The helicopter will crash.”
Earlier in 2023, another crash revealed defects related to the control rod (which affected power input to rotor blades) and hydraulic issues. The control rod is essential for transferring power from the copter’s two engines to its overhead rotors.
The control rod in ALH is made of aluminum, and HAL decided to replace it with steel control rods in some helicopters.
Special checks have been put in place for the rod every 100 hours of flying instead of an examination every 300 hours. This will increase the copter’s fatigue tolerance and improve the pilot’s control of the aircraft. A regulatory panel suggested the change.
Due to the grounding, the ALH missed February’s prestigious Aero India 2025.
However, HAL Chief Dr DK Sunil has backed the grounded chopper during the show.
“There is no problem with the design. NLR lab in the Netherlands has reviewed it and certified it.” He underscored that the helicopter has flown over 4.5 lakh hours since its induction in 2004.
He highlighted that the ALH Dhruv has experienced 28 crashes since its induction. These incidents have been attributed to various causes. Thirteen crashes were due to technical faults, another 13 were attributed to human error, and the remaining two had unknown causes.
Multiple Groundings: ALHs Tryst With Controversies
The grounding of ALHs following the fatal crash in Gujarat in January was not the first grounding of India’s indigenously developed chopper.
Earlier in September last year, the Coast Guard grounded its fleet of ALHs when a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar.
However, the Indian Army, IAF, and the Navy did not ground their fleet at that time.
Before that, the ALH fleet was also grounded several times in 2023 following multiple accidents, which called into question its flight safety record.
ALH’s First Export To Diplomatic Fracas
Earlier, the first export of the ALHs to Ecuador ended in a diplomatic debacle.
After a series of crashes, Ecuador grounded its fleet of ALHs and put them up for sale. The country also unilaterally canceled its order for more ALHs from India, which sued the Ecuadorian government over the matter.
The ALH has been sold to the Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, and Ecuador for military use. One of these choppers has been leased to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Additionally, states like Turkey and Peru purchased the helicopter for civilian purposes.
Dhruv’s debacle with Ecuador has long haunted the HAL. Since then, the MK III variant has evoked significant interest from various countries looking for cost-effective alternatives to Western military helicopters. The Philippines, Argentina, and North African countries have shown interest in the helicopter.
However, the slew of ALH crashes in the Indian forces and its repeated groundings have certainly impacted its export potential.
- Sumit Ahlawat has over a decade of experience in news media. He has worked with Press Trust of India, Times Now, Zee News, Economic Times, and Microsoft News. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Media and Modern History from the University of Sheffield, UK.
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