| Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) | |
|---|---|
 LUH in flight | |
| General information | |
| Type | Utility helicopter |
| National origin | India |
| Manufacturer | Hindustan Aeronautics Limited |
| Designer | Rotary Wing Research and Design Center[1] |
| Status | Limited series production |
| Primary users | Indian Army |
| Number built | 3 (12 on order)[2][3] |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 2013 – present |
| Introduction date | 2024 (planned)[4] |
| First flight | 6 September 2016[5] |
TheHAL Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), along with its derivative,Light Observation Helicopter (LOH), was designed and developed by the Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC), one of the research and development (R&D) sections ofHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), for civilian and military applications.[6] These are intended to replace license-built versions ofAérospatiale SA 315B Lama (designated Cheetah) andAérospatiale Alouette III (designated Chetak) in service with theIndian Army and theIndian Air Force.
The first seven-seater French-originAlouette III helicopters were introduced by the IAF in 1962. A year later, in 1965, the HAL gave the IAF its first Alouette III, namedHAL Chetak, produced under licence. Furthermore, HAL and France struck a contract in 1970 for the local production of the five-seaterSA-315B Lama helicopters, which were later christenedHAL Cheetah when they were delivered to the Indian Air Force in 1976.[7]
During the 1990s and the 2000s, the procurement of a modern successor to the aging HAL Cheetah and HAL Chetak helicopters of theIndian Army and theIndian Air Force had been recognised as an impending need.[8] Multiple attempts at establishing a competitive tendering programme; one such effort specified a total of 197 utility helicopters for the Indian Army, 60 of which were to be directly purchased and the remaining 137 to beproduced under licence by Indian aerospace companyHindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).[8] However, this tender, in which theEurocopter Fennec appeared to be the frontrunner against the rivalBell 407, eventually ended up being cancelled in response to allegations of irregularities in the selection process;Eurocopter was subsequently investigated and exonerated of any wrongdoing.[9][10] Consequently, newsafeguards were implemented to ensure impartiality and the replacement effort was subsequently restarted.[8]
During July 2008, theGovernment of India circulated arequest for proposals (RFP) to various helicopter companies, includingAgustaWestland,Bell Helicopter, Eurocopter,Kamov andSikorsky, for a fleet of 197 light utility helicopters to be purchased in a fly-away condition directly from the manufacturer in order to speed up their delivery.[8] Intended for military purposes, the potential contract was valued as a maximum of $750 million, of which 30 per cent was required to be invested within India under the government's policy of industrialoffsets; HAL was also specified as to provide domestic maintenance activities for the fleet, who were reportedly also keen to manufacture further examples locally and further develop the selected type.[8] It had been initially hoped that trials would begin in 2009 and that helicopter deliveries could commence as early as 2010.[8][9]
By late 2008, Bell had announced its decision not to participate despite earlier considerations on offering a variant of their Bell 407 helicopter; according to Bell, the high offset requirements had made any bid less feasible and thus the company chose to withdraw from the Indian military market.[9] Rival firmRussian Helicopters, submitting itsKamov Ka-226T, was another major competitor for the competition.[11] Shortly after the selection of the Ka-226T to meet the requirement, during December 2015, an agreement was signed for the creation of ajoint venture betweenRostec, Russian Helicopters and HAL to manufacture the Ka-226T at a new factory to be built atTumakuru, India.[12] Meanwhile, HAL, which had long held ambitions to design and produce such an aircraft, sought to establish a partnership with a Western manufacturer with considerable technical know-how in the field; reportedly, Eurocopter were viewed as being the favourite, having already worked with HAL for decades on previous ventures, such as the Chetak and Cheetal that were being replaced.[13] However, the deal did not proceed as per reports in November 2023 and the entire requirement of light helicopters is expected to be fulfilled by indigenous designs.[7][14]
As of 2023, the Armed Forces plans to retire its fleet of around 400HAL Chetak andCheetah from 2027 onwards and is planning to replace them with the modern LUH. The Army has a deficiency of the light helicopters. There are around 190 units of these helicopters of which at least 25 are inMRO at HAL. This is down from 246 units in count. In fact, around 134 of the helicopters are about 30 to 50 years old and are nearing the end of its Total Technical Life (TTL). Also, Air Force operates 120 of these helicopters including the 18 of newerCheetal variant. However, the first batch of the older helicopters has been retired already.[7][15] TheIndian Navy is planning to outfit its upcoming helicopter fleets with the Utility Helicopter-Maritime (UH-M) variant.[16]
During February 2009, India's defence ministry approved HAL's proposal to enter the design phase on an indigenous design that could potentially meet the requirements of the competition, as well to explore partnership arrangements.[17] HAL promptly performed preliminary design studies on a prospective 3-tonne light helicopter, powered by a singleHAL/Turbomeca Shaktiturboshaft engine and possessing a range of up to 500 km (270 nm) and a payload capacity of up to 500 kg (1,100 lb). In March 2010, HAL announced that it had decided to proceed on the LUH project alone, without any international partner participating in its development.[18]
In February 2011, HAL unveiled a full-sized mockup of its LUH design.[19] At this point, the design of the LUH was officially frozen, but some elements, such as the powerplant, were yet to be selected for the type; additionally, the first prototype was anticipated to be constructed by the end of 2012 and the first flight was scheduled to occur during 2013.[19] By early November 2012, the bottom structure assembly of the LUH ground test vehicle had been completed. According to HAL, the manufacturingjigs, which are of a modular and gaugeless design, consisting of five assembly jigs and a coupling jig, had been developed and validated using Computer Aided Measurement System (CAMS) to establish high accuracy and stability, which produces smooth and flawless 'First off' structure build.[20] In March 2014, HAL promoted its LUH's capabilities as a civilian multirole helicopter, noting its ability to carry up to six passengers in an appropriate configuration.[21]
_Unni_K._Pillai_with_LUH_in_background.jpg)
Following repeated delays to the type's first flight, on 6 September 2016, the first prototype LUH PT-1 (ZG4620) conduct itsmaiden flight outside HAL's manufacturing facility atBangalore.[5][22] The maiden flight, which was reportedly flown without any issues, marked the commencement of the flight test phase of development.[23] On 14 February 2017, the first prototype performed an aerobatic display in front of members of the general public in Aero India 2017.[24]
Using feedback from the first prototype, a more refined second prototype performed its first flight on 22 May 2017.[25][26] The LUH flew at 6 km altitude Envelope Expansion Test at Bengaluru, a critical certification requirement, in December 2018.[27] Subsequently, on 14 December 2018, the third prototype PT-3 had its maiden flight.[28] In 2018, the LUH finished hot weather trials atNagpur. Testing at sea-level altitudes was completed atChennai in 2018 and atPuducherry in 2019.[29]
In January 2019, the LUH successfully completed cold weather trials.[30] The LUH undertook successful high altitude hot weather trials between 24 August and 2 September 2019.[29] By 7 February 2020, three prototypes had cumulatively performed over 550 flights.[31] On 7 February 2020, the LUH received its Initial Operational Clearance (IOC) from theMinistry of Defence's (MoD) department of Defence Research and Development.[32][33]
The Indian Army has requested a final demonstration trial prior to the LUH goes into mass production. HAL announced the completion of the final demonstration trial on 9 September 2020, which involved envelope expansion, performance, flying qualities, payload and landing capabilities at the highest altitudes ofSiachen Glacier.[34] The Final Operational Clearance (FOC) is planned for 2021, following tests focused on its automatic flight control system (AFCS).[35]
During an official visit on 7 October 2021, Director General ofArmy Aviation CorpsLt Gen AK Suri flew the LUH's final testsortie, successfully completing the Army Acceptance Trial. The LUH was stated to have reached readiness for induction by the Indian Armed Forces.[36] From August 2022, HAL started flight trials of the limited series production (LSP) platform.[37] In late 2022, the Indian Coast Guard Director General V S Pathania led a delegation of officials to HAL, during which he undertook a 45 minute sortie in LUH. ICG is evaluating replacement of Chetak helicopters in fleet with the LUH.[38]
By 2021, all certification activities, including ground testing, ground test vehicle endurance runs, system testing, and flight trials under conditions such as hot and cold weather, high altitude and at sea level, were completed and the helicopter design met all the Preliminary Joint Services Qualitative Requirements (PJSQR) of the Armed Forces.[39] Two concerns expressed by the Indian Air Force over the LUH, namely the Imported Flight Control System and concerns with the Main rotor blade have been resolved by HAL. The Safran FCS will eventually be superseded by an indigenous system while the blade disk has been resolved by HAL, who is hopeful of full certification by December 2025, with delivery of the initial orders by Match 2026.[40]
The Army's LUH variant received theInitial Operational Clearance (IOC) fromCentre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) in the presence ofDefence MinisterRajnath Singh atAero India 2021 on 5 February 2021.[39] By January 2025, theflight control system software from Safran is undergoing certification after which the aircraft will finally enter production.[41]
While limited series production (LSP) wa performed at Bengaluru, HAL intends to perform mass production of the LUH at its new helicopter manufacturing complex atTumakur; it has the capacity to produce helicopters of 3 to 12 ton category and was to start operations from 2018-19 onwards as of 2016. The Tumakur assembly line will complete around 30 LUHs per year by 2019–2020; upon enacting Phase II, which will take another three-four years, production would be ramped up to 60 helicopters per year from 2023.[22][43] The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on 2 November 2021 approved purchase of 12 Limited Series Production (LSP) variant of LUH including 6 for Indian Army and Indian Air Force each. The Indian Armed Forces will purchase 175-400 production variant helicopters.[44][45] The 12 LSP aircraft deal is expected to cost₹1,500crore (equivalent to₹17 billion or US$200 million in 2023). The delivery which was expected to begin in August 2022 was delayed due to issues with the certification of itsautopilot system.[7][15] As of then, the Tumakur assembly line would become fully operational from March 2022.[45] As per a government report from theRajya Sabha on 29 November, the Army and IAF will get two LSP each from 2022-23. After that HAL will start rolling out series production (SP) variants.[46]
By November 2023, the Army was planning to place an initial order worth₹45,000crore (US$5.3 billion) for over 90 helicopters and has a total requirement of around 250 helicopters.[47] Around this time, a combined order for the three branches of India's Armed Forces is expected to be finalized within the next 18-20 months, with deliveries projected to commence from 2026 onward.[7][14] In September 2024,The Hindu reported that the Army has a requirement of 225 LUHs and a deal of 110 LUHs was in the cost negotiation stage.[48] By January 2025, HAL expects the order for 12 LSP helicopters to be placed by second quarter of 2025. The delays were attributed to supply of flight control system orauto pilot software purchased from theSafran Electronics which has now been delivered and installed on the helicopter. HAL has produced 6 LUHs and had sought help from the Netherlands to overcome a particular adjustment. The first helicopter will be delivered within 24 months of signing the contract.[41] By 19 February 2025, the LUH prototypes logged 1,161 test flights.[49]
In order to replace Chetak and Cheetah helicopters in the Indian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defence has issued aRequest for Information (RFI) for the procurement of 200 light helicopters under the reconnaissance and surveillance helicopters (RSH) programme in August 2025. Under the programme, 120 units and 80 units are to be procured for the Indian Army and Air Force, respectively. Specifying the technical requirements, the RFI mentioned that the suppliers are expected to be Indian vendors partnering withoriginal equipment manufacturers (OEM). The helicopters are expected to be capable of operating in day and night and undertakereconnaissance,surveillance andsearch and rescue operations.[50]Bell Textron, along with its Indian partner Max AeroSpace and Aviation, is expected to offerBell 407 helicopter in the competition.[51] Airbus will also offer the Made-in-IndiaH125 along withTata Advanced Systems.[52]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding to it.(August 2017) |
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 (146 mph), maximum speed of 260 km/h (160 mph), service ceiling of up to 6.5 km (21,000 ft), a range of 350 km (220 mi) withmaximum take-off weight of 3.12 tonne and an empty weight of 1.91 tonne.[19] 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 carrying cargoes of up to 1 tonne under-slung. LUH withglass cockpit[53] will be able to undertake various missions, includingemergency medical services (EMS), troop transport, utility,search and rescue (S&R),VVIP,aerial reconnaissance andsurveillance missions.[19][23]
LUH is powered by a single 750 KW rated Shakti-1Uturboshaft engine derived fromSafran Ardiden, co-developed by HAL andTurbomeca.[54] It supports dual channelFull Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) system along with backup fuel control system. The helicopter will be equipped with aglass cockpit featuring aSmart Cockpit Display System (SCDS) along with a skid-based landing gear arrangement.[19] LUH is the only helicopter in the 3 ton class to have foldable rotors.[55] HAL also hasHTSE-1200 under development to replace Shakti-1U engines with an indigenous solution.[56]
LUH is equipped with Smart Cockpit Display System (Glass Cockpit), state-of-the-art HUMS (Health & Usage Monitoring System).[39] The gearbox was developed by Microtec company located inHyderabad, while the ring gear is built by Shanti Gears and transmission by HAL. Avionics hardware is supplied byChennai-based Data patterns and HAL worked on the software. With supplies from many other Indian companies, HAL plans to take the indigenous content to over 60 percent.[55] The LUH is intended to be compatible withGeneration 3 (GEN III)night vision goggles technology developed by theNetro Optronics division ofMKU.[57][58] The LUH also features a flight control system orautopilot software fromSafran Electronics. The software, which has two parts including for basic stabilisation, is presently undergoing final certification.[41]
India
Data fromJane's All the World's Aircraft,[63] HAL[64]
General characteristics
Performance
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