THE DHRUV advanced light helicopter (ALH) was indigenously designed for the Army and the Air Force to operate in mountainous areas like Siachen, where heights range from 10,000 to 20,000ft. However, the annual report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) states that the Army inducted 40 ALHs - at a cost of about Rs1,747 crores - which, due to technical shortcomings, cannot fly above 5,000m (eqiuvalent to 15,000ft).

In the report tabled in parliament , the CAG said the helicopters manufactured by public sector aviation giant Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), were in the process of induction with ‘technological gaps’. The CAG cautioned that it could impact the operational preparedness of the Army. Elaborating upon this point, the report said the Army, in its qualitative requirement projected in 1995, wanted a light helicopter which could fly at a height of more than 6,500m. The first four ALHs produced in 2001 failed to meet this requirement due to the limitation of the B2 engine used in the helicopter adding that the vibration levels of the helicopter were not within acceptable limits.

Despite the shortcomings, four ALHs were accepted by the Army and an order was placed for eight more in order to sustain the production lines of HAL. A waiver (that put aside the need for meeting with qualitative requirements) was granted by the then Defence Minister on November 2001 as a one-time exception based on the assurances of HAL.The aviation company said it would identify a more powerful engine to replace the B2 engine and reduce the basic empty weight of the helicopter from 2,550kg to 2,450kg.CAG noted that as of December 2008, HAL failed to overcome these shortcomings even after five years even though it had tied up with a foreign company to develop a more powerful engine.

It said that the inability of the ALH to fly above 5,000m was due to the inability of HAL to reduce the basic empty weight of the helicopter. “Thus due to the delay and inability of HAL to develop the ALH according to the Army’s requirement, the Army is saddled with 40 ALHs with technical shortcomings,” it observed. The CAG also said the Army was compelled to rely on the old fleet of single-engine Cheetah and Chetak helicopters which use a technology that is over 30 years old.

Moreover, the Army signed a contract in 2007 for 105 ALHs (fitted with Shakti engines) worth over Rs9,490 crores. Delivery was to commence from 2008-2009 onwards provided the engine was evaluated by August 2008.The Army stated in September last year that the engine was power-deficient and that necessary improvements were underway. “The failure of the Army to acquire suitable ALHs timely, has led to considerable delay in de-induction of the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which may impact operational preparedness especially in high-altitude areas,” the report said.