The indigenously built ALH Dhruv helicopter, by DPSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has received restricted type certification from European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Brussels, Belgium.
HAL confirmed this in a post on its official Twitter account on July 4.
“The EASA certification establishes that HAL is capable of designing helicopter platforms meeting stringent European certification requirements,” the tweet said.
This certification validates HAL’s capacity to design and manufacture helicopters that meet the stringent certification requirements set by the European aviation regulatory authorities.
Worth mentioning, the EASA certification system involves a thorough assessment of a number of aspects, including design, manufacture, maintenance, and operational procedures, to make sure that the certified aircraft meet or surpass the established criteria.
About ALH Dhruv
The indigenously designed and developed Advanced Light Helicopter (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).
Certification of the utility military variant was completed in 2002 and that of the civil variant was completed in 2004. The deliveries of production series helicopters commenced from 2001-02 onwards.
A total of 336 Helicopters have been produced by October 2022.
The major variants of ALH are classified as:-
- Mk-I Conventional cockpit
- MK-II & Mk-III Glass cockpit
- MK-III Maritime Role (Navy/ Coast Guard)
- MK-IV armed version
|
Technical Parameters
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| ALH Mk-III | ALH Mk-IV | ||
| Length | 15.9 m | 15.9 m | |
| Width | 13.2 m | 13.2 m | |
| Height | 4.98 m | 4.98 m | |
| Max Take Off Weight | 5500 kg | 5800 kg | |
| Never Exceed Speed (VNE) | 292 Km/h | 245 Km/h | |
| Range | 630 km | 590 km | |
| Endurance | 3.65hr | 3.8 hr | |
| PAX | 12 + 2 | ||
Power Plant
- TM 333 – 2B2 (For Dhruv Mk-I and Mk-II) & ARDIDEN 1H1 (Shakti) (for Dhruv Mk III & Mk IV).
| TM 333 – 2B2 | SHAKTI | |
|---|---|---|
| – Dry wt. | 167.5 kg | 205 kg |
| – Max. Power | 801 kW | 1032 kW |
| – Specific Fuel Consumption | 0.323 kg/kw hr | 0.300 kg/kw hr |
- 12 % Higher power than TM 333 2B2 engine
- Dual centrifugal compressor assembly
- Single crystal blades
- Dual channel FADEC
Source: https://hal-india.co.in/
