New Delhi: Aircraft manufacturer Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has conducted extensive tests on the pole advanced light helicopters in a marine setting in an attempt to fix a deadly defect after a deadly rare in helicopters run by the Navy and Coast Guard.
Officials said the tests conducted out of the Visakhapatnam coast for two weeks operated ALH from warships in different weather conditions, officials said, asked not to be named.
“HAL has collected a lot of data during these trials. The data is being analyzed at the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center and the conclusions will be submitted to the defects inquiry committee (DIC) by August,” said one of the officials above.
The Army’s ALH fleet was placed on the ground after a deadly coast guards accident in Pordar in Gujarat on 5 January, but on May 1, the army and Air Force choppers were aerial after a comprehensive security check.
HAL has instructed each with two ALH — Navy and Coast Guards — To collect important data on the performance of the integrated dynamic system of the helicopter, the transmission system, including the transmission system, gearbox and rotor hub, as well as testing load can be tested in different operating conditions.
The Navy and Coast Guards simultaneously operate around 30 ALH, designed and developed by HAL. 300 ALH operated by the Army and Air Force was approved for flight duties based on the recommendations of DIC.
The problem with the Navy and Coast Guards appears to be associated with continuous operation in the sea environment, as reported by HT earlier.
Another official said, “HAL is trying to determine the exact problem and fix it. DIC will check the data compiled by the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center and recommend the next stages.” The DIC consists of officials of the Bengaluru-based Center for Military Airworks and Certification (CEMILAC), which are the Directorate General of Aeronautical Quality Assurance and HAL.
The HAL had earlier widened the scope of investigation by incorporating the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bangalore to test the fatigue testing of a significant part in the transmission system of the helicopter to get to the bottom of the case.
It was found after a high-power panel that due to a swashplate fracture, January 5 was the Coast Guard Alh Crash in which two pilots and one aircraft divers were killed, but the reason for the rupture of the significant component that compromised the ability of the pilots to the ability to control the helicopter’s ability to control the helicopter’s ability.
A fleet-wide inspection conducted after the January 5 accident revealed that some Navy and Coast Guard ALHS were facing the same problem — cracks in the Swashplate Assembly.
HT was about to report for the first time that a detailed analysis by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-National Aerospace Laboratories (CSIR-NAL) in Bengaluru pointed to a swashplate assembly failure.
ALH only reviewed a design review after replacement of a faulty control system in 2023-24. The helicopter has been involved in about 15 accidents during the last five years, putting the spotlight on its safety record.
The Coast Guard suspended the ALH operation after an accident last September when a helicopter crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar. Then, two pilots and an aircraft diver were killed. The grounding was for a one -time check -up; The three services then did not put their fleet on the ground. The Coast Guard approved helicopters to fly a few weeks later, which included HAL, Semilac and All Coast Guard units.
Last September accident, too, came after a design review, ended in a significant security upgradation on the Alh fleet. This included installing advanced control systems on helicopters to improve their airration. The comprehensive design reviews were also held even after the ALH fleet was grounded several times in 2023, as its flight safety record was questioned after a part of accidents.
