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Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL’s) indigenously designed and produced Dhruv helicopter has been symbolically handed over to the Maldivian defence forces at a function organised by the Southern Naval Command at Kochi Naval Base (INS Garuda). The Maldivian Defence and National Security Minister Mohamed Nazim unveiled what he called "precious gift from India in presence Vice Admiral Satish Soni, Commander-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command and T. Suvarna Raju, Director (Design and Development), HAL, was present on the occasion.
Dr. R.K. Tyagi, Chairman, HAL hailed the momentous occasion and said the ALH would be in Male in the beginning of the New Year. “We are proud that ALH handed over to Maldives is `Made in India’ with proven track record in both military and civil operations,” he added.
HAL technical support team is positioned at GAN, Maldives to provide maintenance and logistic support. Dhruv has also been exported to Ecuador, Mauritius, Nepal. The Ecuador Air Force (FAE) operates six Dhruv helicopters with their President choosing to fly in one of them.
Dhruv is extremely useful in meeting the arduous tasks in difficult terrains. It played a key role in search and rescue operations during Tsunami (2004), flash floods at Leh (2010), earthquake at Sikkim (2011) and the biggest ever helicopter based rescue operation undertaken by Indian defence forces in flood & rain-hit areas of Uttarakhand. Dhruv is already operated in Maldives which is extensively used for surveillance, medical evacuation, in assisting civil administration, training and rescue operations.
HAL Dhruv is being operated by Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Indian Navy, Coast Guard, BSF and state governments since 2002. Currently, more than 130 Dhruv helicopters are serving the Indian Defence Forces. HAL has also built 12 civil variant Dhruv helicopters and they are being used by its customers.
ALH Dhruv is an all weather helicopter which can carry 10-16 people at heights of 10,000 feet. It is a multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter in 5.5 tonne weight class and meets Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) specifications. It has demonstrated its capability in long distance flights, vertical climb and manoeuvring.
