Indian attack chopper expected by year end

[angeldemon_007]

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NEW DELHI, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The Indian army will induct the attack version of the indigenously built advanced light helicopter into the army aviation corps this year, a defense official said.

The Rudra light combat helicopter is a "heavily loaded" version of the advanced light helicopter Dhruv. The Rudra is armed with an array of guns and rocket pods as well as air-to-air and anti-tank missiles, a report by the Press Trust of India said, without naming any army official.

The PTI report gave no other details or dates.

The Rudra first flew in March 2010.

India's army has been waiting for the armed version since the utility helicopter Dhruv, built by Hindustan Aeronautics, entered service in 2002. Around 160 are believed to have been ordered by the army and navy from the company's assembly plant in Bangalore.

Even the unarmed utility version, which also is available for civilian use, was a long time coming.

The Dhruv project was announced in 1984 when Hindustan Aeronautics began designing the aircraft with assistance from the German aerospace company Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm.

MBB was formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s and which in 1989 was bought by Daimler-Benz Aerospace. MBB is now part of EADS.

The Dhruv first flew in 1992 and has been exported first to Ecuador in 2008 for $50 million and then to Nepal and Israel.

Hindustan Aeronautics won the Ecuadorian order amid strong competition from Elbit, Eurocopter and Kazan.

"HAL's offer of $50.7 million for seven helicopters was about 32 percent lower than the second lowest bid from Elbit," a June 2008 Indian Ministry of Defense statement said.

But exports have suffered because of an accident in October 2009. One of the seven sold to the Ecuadorian air force crashed during a military parade, leaving two crew injured.

The helicopter veered off course while flying in formation with two other helicopters over an air force base near Quito and hit the ground nose first, the PTI reported at the time.

The Ecuadorian air force grounded the other six Dhruv until an investigation was completed. The investigation concluded pilot error was to blame.

In April, four Indian army personnel were killed in a Dhruv helicopter crash in north Sikkim state, near the Chinese border.

The Dhruv helicopter carries up to 12 passenger and two pilots sitting side by side, with a maximum takeoff weight of 12,125 pounds. Maximum speed of 180 mph is from two Shakti turboshaft engines or two Turbomeca TM 333-2B2 turboshaft engines. The service ceiling is around 27,500 feet.

The Rudra version has the two pilots sitting one behind the other.


Read more: Indian attack chopper expected by year end - UPI.com

[jackhammer2]

LCH is a one great helo which can do wonders with our forces god I can't waite for the year end.

[angeldemon_007]

^^^
Article is talking about Rudra and not LCH...



---------- Post added at 05:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------

As far as i am concerned, it looks crappy. I mean it looks like HAL has inserted a rod in dhruv and tied these weapons with the rope . Can't they develop a proper wing like structure as developed for LCH ?

[Dash]

^^^
Article is talking about Rudra and not LCH...



---------- Post added at 05:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------

As far as i am concerned, it looks crappy. I mean it looks like HAL has inserted a rod in dhruv and tied these weapons with the rope . Can't they develop a proper wing like structure as developed for LCH ?

Its for army.shhhhhh...so you can imagine who has given the inputs...

[angeldemon_007]

No inputs were taken from IAF but the whole development was sponsored by IA.

[jha]

Its for army.shhhhhh...so you can imagine who has given the inputs...

Compare this with Lancer and you will start praising HAL like nothing else...

[Lord Of Gondor]

@AD_007-But i think that Rod like structure is light weight and can be easily installed.
I may have seen Mi8/17's with these firing 57milli's in Kargil
EDIT-Found the pic

You have to zoom in to view it

[pmukherjee]

Its for army.shhhhhh...so you can imagine who has given the inputs...

Look, it is just a weaponised version of the Dhruv. Which means that weapon pods have been fitted the Dhruv air frame. What does the Army have to do with it? Could the Army say that it wanted a weaponised Dhruv that looked like the Apache? If you have problems with the looks of the Dhruv, don't blame the Army for it. Stub wings were needed for accommodating the rockets and missile pods. Where else do you fit them?

[Loki]

Looks and sounds good. There are plenty of weaponized variants of helicopters.

Weaponized Blackhawk:

[Dash]

Look, it is just a weaponised version of the Dhruv. Which means that weapon pods have been fitted the Dhruv air frame. What does the Army have to do with it? Could the Army say that it wanted a weaponised Dhruv that looked like the Apache? If you have problems with the looks of the Dhruv, don't blame the Army for it. Stub wings were needed for accommodating the rockets and missile pods. Where else do you fit them?

I didnt say Army has given the input, Did I?. IAF has given input for Army and thats wht it is like this....IAF always wants best for itself and Army doesnt want anything at all so thats one thing why IAF has given inputs like this. and any tom can imagine that it was not supposed to be a heavy helo so the wing configuration is perfect. economically speaking...

However the first time we make something or HAL they give undue welcome to the critics to talk loads about it, we all know it. Later they fix it but thats a separate issue. Why not make everything perfect from now on? why do we give chances to people to talk abt us. These are the questions the HAL guys need to answer.
Though they are doing fairly well in most areas...

[Lord Of Gondor]

However the first time we make something or HAL they give undue welcome to the critics to talk loads about it, we all know it. Later they fix it but thats a separate issue. Why not make everything perfect from now on? why do we give chances to people to talk abt us. These are the questions the HAL guys need to answer.
Though they are doing fairly well in most areas...

Any imperfections that you've encountered in the Rudra??

[IND151]

Rudra has tandem seats

so cant be mere copy of LCH

---------- Post added at 09:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:04 PM ----------

Compare this with Lancer and you will start praising HAL like nothing else...

what is lancer?

[Lord Of Gondor]

what is lancer?

A modified/weaponised variant of the venerable HAL cheetah.
Google.......HAL Lancer

[pmukherjee]

I didnt say Army has given the input, Did I?. IAF has given input for Army and thats wht it is like this....IAF always wants best for itself and Army doesnt want anything at all so thats one thing why IAF has given inputs like this. and any tom can imagine that it was not supposed to be a heavy helo so the wing configuration is perfect. economically speaking...

However the first time we make something or HAL they give undue welcome to the critics to talk loads about it, we all know it. Later they fix it but thats a separate issue. Why not make everything perfect from now on? why do we give chances to people to talk abt us. These are the questions the HAL guys need to answer.
Though they are doing fairly well in most areas...

It is the IAF that operates and maintains all attack helicopters (MI 25/35) in support of the IA.That is how it is at present, I doubt the policy is changing anytime soon.

If it is a weaponised version of an utility helicopter, there is not much leeway available to anyone. A functional utility helicopter is first made and then weapon systems are integrated to it along with armour plates at certain places.

Come on buddy, it is not such a bad job. In fact it looks just great. I for one would not want to be in the line of fire of one these guys.

[Butters]

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Looks cooler than the LCH I think.