Has the accidents with naval Dhruv's pushed the dev timelines with UHM?
Further why not an RFI? This way more players can participate. Like AW is excluded right now.
Further why not an RFI? This way more players can participate. Like AW is excluded right now.
The wheeled version is the most problematic. HAL should have hired foriegn consultants by now to help fix them.
HALs window of opportunity is closing fast. The IN has always had a strong preference for the Airbus Panther (aka Z-9 in PLAN and PN service).
This may affect UHM orders eventually though they are not exactly in the same class. Otoh, the IA/IAF will likely buy/lease a limited number of MII H-125s sooner than later. HAL needs to pull up its socks big time.
Additional MH60R helicopters under discussion. Happy that atleast there is a will.
Three of the four Dhruv helicopter crashes in the Indian Navy and Coast Guard, which have happened since 2023, have not been caused by manufacturing or design defects by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, says Dr. DK Sunil, the Chairman and Managing Director of HAL.
Frequent crashes of the HAL Dhruv chopper, a workhorse across the armed forces, have resulted in frequent fleet-wide groundings pending investigations. In January this year, the Dhruv fleet was grounded for the third time since 2023. There are approximately 338 Dhruv choppers in service. The Army and Air Force Dhruvs have since been cleared to fly.
Frequent crashes of the HAL Dhruv chopper, a workhorse across the armed forces, have resulted in frequent fleet-wide groundings pending investigations. In January this year, the Dhruv fleet was grounded for the third time since 2023. There are approximately 338 Dhruv choppers in service. The Army and Air Force Dhruvs have since been cleared to fly.
MoD inks Letters of Offer & Acceptance with US for sustainment support of Indian Navy’s fleet of MH60R helicopters through Follow on Support and Follow on Supply Support worth approx Rs 7,995 crore
Posted On: 28 NOV 2025 3:10PM by PIB Delhi
Ministry of Defence has signed Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) with the Government of the United States for sustainment support of Indian Navy’s fleet of MH60R helicopters through Follow on Support and Follow on Supply Support for a period of five years at an approximate value of Rs 7,995 crore. The LOAs were inked under the Foreign Military Sales programme of US, in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi on November 28, 2025.
Sustainment Support is a comprehensive package which includes provisioning of spares, support equipment, product support, training and technical support, repair & replenishment of components and setting up of ‘Intermediate’ level component repairs & Periodic Maintenance Inspection facilities in India. In-country development of these facilities will ensure capability build-up in the long run and reduced dependence on the US Government, thus aligning with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. This would further lead to indigenous product and services development through MSMEs and other Indian firms.
The sustainment support would significantly enhance the operational availability and maintainability of the technologically advanced, all-weather capable MH60R helicopters, which also have Anti-Submarine Warfare capability, acquired through the US government. In addition, the support would enable the operation of these helicopters from dispersed locations as well as ships, ensuring optimal performance during all their primary and secondary missions/roles.
This was notified by DSCA a year back: https://media.defense.gov/2024/Dec/11/2003607960/-1/-1/0/PRESS RELEASE - INDIA 24-115 CN.PDF
MoD inks Letters of Offer & Acceptance with US for sustainment support of Indian Navy’s fleet of MH60R helicopters through Follow on Support and Follow on Supply Support worth approx Rs 7,995 crore
Posted On: 28 NOV 2025 3:10PM by PIB Delhi
Ministry of Defence has signed Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) with the Government of the United States for sustainment support of Indian Navy’s fleet of MH60R helicopters through Follow on Support and Follow on Supply Support for a period of five years at an approximate value of Rs 7,995 crore. The LOAs were inked under the Foreign Military Sales programme of US, in the presence of Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh in New Delhi on November 28, 2025.
Sustainment Support is a comprehensive package which includes provisioning of spares, support equipment, product support, training and technical support, repair & replenishment of components and setting up of ‘Intermediate’ level component repairs & Periodic Maintenance Inspection facilities in India. In-country development of these facilities will ensure capability build-up in the long run and reduced dependence on the US Government, thus aligning with the vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat. This would further lead to indigenous product and services development through MSMEs and other Indian firms.
The sustainment support would significantly enhance the operational availability and maintainability of the technologically advanced, all-weather capable MH60R helicopters, which also have Anti-Submarine Warfare capability, acquired through the US government. In addition, the support would enable the operation of these helicopters from dispersed locations as well as ships, ensuring optimal performance during all their primary and secondary missions/roles.
This was notified by DSCA a year back: https://media.defense.gov/2024/Dec/11/2003607960/-1/-1/0/PRESS RELEASE - INDIA 24-115 CN.PDF
Order another 24 because no progress on IMRH let alone DBMRH, nothing on UH-M and we will soon be phasing out remaining Sea Kings, while the Ka28s which were supposed to be upgraded are no where to be seen..
Yeah. IMRH is not going into production before early 2030. So no point in waiting for that long.
"As per the timelines outlined by the HAL, sources said, the production of the IMRH is set to begin in 2030-31, with the first prototype rotary-wing aircraft expected to take flight in two years from now."
Anticipating 419 IMRH orders from armed forces, HAL pumps in ₹4,000 cr to start indigenous development of medium-lift copter
HAL invests ₹4,000 crore for Indian Multi Role Helicopters development to replace ageing Russian helicopters, aiming for self-reliance.
This is what Sunil DK said.
"We are also working on the UHM (Utility Helicopter Maritime)- utility helicopter for the deck-based version. It will start flying this year, and delivery in two years"
This is what ANI interpret
"Similarly, the HAL is also working on Utility Helicopter Maritime (UHM) which will also start flying in 2027."
"We are also working on the UHM (Utility Helicopter Maritime)- utility helicopter for the deck-based version. It will start flying this year, and delivery in two years"
This is what ANI interpret
"Similarly, the HAL is also working on Utility Helicopter Maritime (UHM) which will also start flying in 2027."
Maybe ANI is interpreting based on HALs track record
Two different utility aircraft programs are ongoing for navy:
- DAC's AoN for 60 Utility Helicopters-Maritime under Buy (Indian-IDDM) category as a ‘Design and Development’ project from Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on 29 March 2023.
- RFI for 76 Naval Utility Helicopters released on August 23, 2025: 51 for Indian Navy & 25 for Indian Coast Guard, Twin Engine, 5.5 tons limit. The platform should have been in service with a Navy for atleast 5 years.
can this help with replacing our heli awacs fleet? or will we have to wait until DBMRH
S76 or Panther (if Airbus is ready to restart the production line)
Ka31s are relatively newer. We need to keep working on them.
Once DBMRH is there, then we can replace them by 2035.
Key part to be fixed before Dhruvs with Navy, Coast Guard fly again
Deck landing stress and exposure of mechanical components to the corrosive saline environment of the seas put naval helicopters through more gruelling tests, different from the choppers operated by land-based forces. The ALH naval variant awaits modification to a key component.
indianexpress.com
The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv fleet of the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) and the Indian Navy will soon receive manufacturing modifications to a key component, senior officials familiar with the developments have told The Indian Express.
These modifications, officials said, will be implemented in batches before the helicopters are delivered to the ICG and the Navy, about six months from now.
It is learnt that the Defect Investigation Committee, probing the crash of a Coast Guard-operated ALH Dhruv on January 5, recommended a manufacturing process improvement of the Non-Rotating Swashplate Bearing (NRSB) for the choppers with the Navy and Coast Guard to improve its fatigue life.
These helicopters operate in corrosive saline environments and have to deal with the mechanical stress of deck landings.
An NRSB in a helicopter is a mechanical component that passes inputs via flight controls into the movement of the main rotor blades.
All 28 Dhruvs with the ICG and the Navy will now undergo the requisite manufacturing modifications to the specific part of the choppers in batches over the next few months, before they are returned to the forces in around six months and cleared for flying.
There has been no official comment from the HAL on the matter.
All ALHs with the ICG, Navy, Army and IAF were grounded after an ICG-operated Dhruv crashed in Porbandar on January 5, killing three personnel on board. A fracture of the NRSB was detected in the Dhruv that crashed.
The Defect Investigation Committee probing the crash found the need for this specific manufacturing modification in the NRSB of the ALHs of only the Navy and the ICG, but not in those with the Army and the IAF. The ALH fleet of the Army and the IAF have already resumed flying operations.
The committee looked at possibilities that could have contributed to the fracture, and on the way forward, including new checks and possible changes in manufacturing.
This is the first time such a fracture of a key component took place in a Dhruv, a workhorse of the Indian Armed Forces, in 25 years of its induction into the military. A variety of tests for different batches were carried out, after which data was collected and analysed to reach the conclusion.
The Dhruv, an indigenously designed and developed ALH, is a twin-engine, multi-role, multi-mission new-generation helicopter in the 5.5 tonne weight class. According to the HAL website, a total of 345 helicopters were produced until June 2024 including 313 for the Indian Armed Forces. The choppers together have clocked over four lakh flying hours.
Four Dhruvs have crashed since 2023, including the crash in January this year. In March 2023, a Navy Dhruv MK III had made an emergency landing on water, off the coast of Mumbai. The same month, an ALH Dhruv Mk III of the Coast Guard crashed close to Kochi International Airport during a training flight. In September 2024, another Coast Guard chopper was forced to ditch at sea off the coast of Porbandar, killing three personnel.