The Indian government has approved a proposal for thirty-four Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv, marking a significant move towards indigenisation in defence manufacturing. The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will manufacture these helicopters with nine of them to be given to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and twenty-five of them to the Indian Army.
The decision underscores a commitment to bolstering domestic defence capabilities and replacing old choppers. The ALH Dhruv is a versatile helicopter known for its performance in high altitude regions like Siachen Glacier and Ladakh. However, concerns persist regarding its mechanical reliability.
In a related development, the government has also sanctioned a project to upgrade BMP infantry vehicles for the Indian Army Mechanised Infantry Regiment. These projects are expected to be valued at over Rs 8,000 crore, further emphasising the government’s focus on indigenous defence prediction.
The Advanced Light Helicopter (Dhruv) is a multi-role, new generation helicopter in 5.5-ton weight class indigenously designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter is a workhorse for the Indian Armed Forces. In use with the Indian Army, it flies to extreme altitudes to serve soldiers in Siachen and Ladakh. However, in recent times, there have been concerns regarding mechanical defects and reliability in the forces.
On March 7, 2024, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) also cleared a long-term proposal to indigenously design and develop a fifth generation Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) in line with the futuristic requirements of the Indian Air Force (IAF).
Fifth generation fighter aircraft, due to their very special features, are much more expensive than fourth generation aircraft. But since the AMCA is indigenous, it will be comparatively much less costly than aircraft imported from outside or foreign nations.
Globally, there are four fifth generation aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning-II of the United States of America, J-20 from the Peoples Republic of China, and Sukhoi-Su-57 from the Russian Federation.
Under the AMCA Plan, the five prototypes of the aircraft will be jointly built by the Aeronautical Development Agency and state-run HAL with support from private sector industries. Only a very few select countries in the world such as US, Russia, China have fifth generation stealth fighter jets. The IAF has been pushing for the AMCA project given its long-term requirement.
While the top brass of the Indian Air Force (IAF) hopes that the DRDO and the ADA will be able to deliver the AMCA by the beginning of the next decade, critics keep fingers crossed considering challenges involved in developing such platform.
