India’s army and navy have signed combined orders for 41 Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALH).
The deal will see the army take 40 of the helicopters, and the navy a single aircraft, under a contract valued at Rs61 billion ($ 976 million). This will be executed over a 60 month period.
It follows an order placed in March for 32 Dhruvs, half of which are for the navy and the other half for India’s coast guard.
“The latest order reflects the trust on HAL’s capabilities and gives an impetus to make-in-India campaign. It reposes faith of Indian Defence forces in the indigenous ALH which has been serving them with distinction for a long time”, says HAL’s chairman and managing director Suvarna Raju.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that India’s army operates 115 Dhruvs while the navy flies eight. The coast guard has yet to take delivery of any of the type.
Overall, 247 Dhruvs are in service globally, primarily with Indian military and parapublic operators.
