HAL offers solution for ALH blade folding
Indian aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has put forward a ‘two-segmented blade’ proposal to meet the Indian Navy’s (IN’s) long-standing requirement for a compliant blade-fold system on the 5.5t Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv naval variant.
The IN has eight Dhruvs based at two locations on the western coast. Inducted in 2013, they form a miniscule proportion of the more than 250 ALHs produced to date. Two key non-compliances for sustained embarked operations – namely, its folded dimensions and a practical, manual blade-fold system – have thus far limited the helicopter to largely shore-based roles.
The IN was unhappy
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