NEW DELHI: The Indian Army and Air Force variants of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv have been cleared for operations following a detailed investigation into recent safety concerns, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The clearance comes after recommendations made by a Defect Investigation (DI) Committee, with a time-bound plan for phased resumption of operations already in place in coordination with the services.
This announcement follows weeks of grounding of over 330 ALH Dhruvs after a crash in Porbandar on January 5, which significantly impacted operational readiness across the armed forces. The incident prompted scrutiny of the indigenous 5.5-tonne helicopter, designed and manufactured by HAL.
Earlier this month, on April 11, HAL issued a sharply worded rebuttal to criticism from sections of the military, retired officers, defence commentators, and analysts, accusing them of pushing “malicious” and “speculative” narratives. “These stories are written without offering HAL’s perspective, and arguments are one-sided and biased,” the public sector aerospace major had said.
Defending the integrity of its platforms and its collaboration with the armed forces, HAL added, “HAL would like to reiterate it is working with all its customers including the IAF and is confident of handling the critical issues that are innate to the defence aeronautics and complex flying platforms.”
The backlash against HAL came not only from media circles but also from former military personnel. Among them was retired naval aviator and test pilot Commander K P Sanjeev Kumar, who called for greater transparency in addressing flight safety concerns. “The interests of your stakeholders are best served if you welcome criticism, work with greater transparency, stop shooting messengers and hallucinating about malafide intent. Your worst critic is not your enemy; just as a sycophant is not your best friend,” he said.
HAL has also been under pressure over delays in the production of the indigenous Tejas Mark-1A fighter jets, further intensifying scrutiny over the PSU’s performance in delivering critical defence platforms on schedule.
