Posts

Showing posts from October, 2020

Cheetah Helicopters | Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama is a French single-engined helicopter developed to meet hot and high operational requirements of the Indian Armed Forces . It combines the lighter Aérospatiale Alouette II air frame with Alouette III components and powerplant. The Lama possesses exceptional high altitude performance. The helicopters have been built under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in India , known as the Cheetah , HAL later developed an upgraded variant, powered by the Turbomeca TM 333-2M2 engine, which is known as the Cheetal . An armed version, marketed as the Lancer, was also produced by HAL. It was also built under licence by Helibras in Brazil as the Gavião. A significant number of SA 315B Lamas were manufactured under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL ), under the name Cheetah. More than three decades after production in India began, HAL was still receiving export orders for the original Cheetah. Along with the Alouette III, the Cheetah

HAL Light Utility Helicopter | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The HAL Light Utility Helicopter  along with its derivative Light Observation Helicopter (LOH) is the design and developed by Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC) one of the R&D sections of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for civilian and military applications. They are set to replace older under licensed HAL built versions of Aérospatiale SA 315B Lama (designated Cheetah) and Aérospatiale Alouette III (designated Chetak) in service with the Indian Army and Indian Air Force . The HAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a 3-tonne class highly agile new generation light helicopter. According to HAL, it possesses a cruise speed of 235 km/h, a maximum speed of 260 km/h, a service ceiling of up to 6.5 km, a range of 350 km, a maximum take-off weight of 3.12 tonne, and an empty weight of 1.91 tonnes. The LUH will be capable of accommodating a maximum of two pilots and six passengers, all of which shall be seated on crash-worthy seats; externally, it is capable of car

Kamov Ka-226 | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The Kamov Ka-226  is a small, twin-engine Russian utility helicopter . The Ka-226 features an interchangeable mission pod, rather than a conventional cabin, allowing the use of various accommodation or equipment configurations. The Ka-226 entered service in 2002. A twin-turbine version of the successful reciprocating-engined Kamov Ka-26, the Ka-226 was initially announced in 1990. Originally developed to meet the requirements of the Russian disaster relief ministry , the aircraft first flew on 4 September 1997. Certification to Russian AP-29 "A" and "B" transport categories was granted on 31 October 2003. The Ka-226 entered production at "Motor Sich", Zaporozhye, Ukraine. In December 2014 it was reported that India is in agreement with the Russian Federation to produce Ka-226T and Mi-17 on its territory. Under a 2011 contract with the Russian Ministry of Defence , Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise completed production of a batch of Ka-226.80 helic

HAL Dhruv | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The HAL Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The development of the Dhruv was announced in November 1984, and it was subsequently designed with assistance from MBB in Germany. The helicopter first flew in 1992, however, its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army 's requirement for design changes, budget restrictions, and sanctions placed on India following the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. It has been named after an Indian mythological character, Dhruv, which in Sanskrit means 'unshakeable'. The Dhruv entered service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators, with military variants of the helicopter being developed for the Indian Armed Forces , while a variant for civilian/commercial use has also been developed. Military versions in production include transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants. Based on the Dh

HAL Rudra | Attack Helicopter | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
Rudra is an attack helicopter manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the Indian Army . It is the Weapon System Integrated (WSI) Mk-IV variant of the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter ( ALH ). Rudra is the first armed helicopter being produced indigenously in India . The HAL Rudra helicopter can be deployed in a wide range of missions, including reconnaissance, troop transport, anti-tank warfare , and close air support . HAL was contracted to deliver about 76 Rudra ALH Mk-IV helicopters for the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force . The Indian Army plans to equip its Army Aviation Corps with 60 helicopters, forming six squadrons. HAL handed over the first Rudra helicopter to the Indian Army in February 2013. A total of 50 Rudra helicopters are operational with the Indian Army as of October 2019. An additional ten units are expected to be delivered by 2020. Design and development of the attack helicopter Development for the WSI variant was authorised in December

HAL Light Combat Helicopter | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The HAL Light Combat Helicopter ( LCH ) is an Indian multi-role attack helicopter designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). It is the world’s lightest attack helicopter and its flight ceiling is the highest among all attack helicopters. It has been ordered for both the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army . The type is also intended to be sold upon the export market since 2015, HAL has been seeking other customers for the LCH. The impetus for the development of the LCH came in the form of the Kargil War , a conflict fought between India and neighbouring Pakistan in 1999, which revealed the Indian armed forces lacked a suitable armed rotorcraft capable of operating unrestricted in the high-altitude theatre. Accordingly, both HAL and the Indian armed forces commenced exploratory efforts towards the conceptualisation of a combat helicopter to perform in this role. During 2006, the company announced that it had launched a development programme to produce

Boeing AH-64 Apache | Indian Army | Indian Air Force | Indian Aviation Core | Indian Defence Forces

Image
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It is armed with a 30 mm (1.18 in) M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircraft's forward fuselage, and four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons for carrying armament and stores, typically a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra 70 rocket pods. The AH-64 has significant systems redundancy to improve combat survivability. The Apache began as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army 's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra . The prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U.S. Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, and later approved full production in 1982. After purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, Mc