The Hindu : Karnataka News : Shakti-powered ALH to fly on August 1

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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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Shakti-powered ALH to fly on August 1

Ravi Sharma

New engine designed to meet high-altitude missions
Will help HAL’s attempts at indigenisation

BANGALORE: With ground tests and endurance runs well on their way to being successfully completed, Dhruv, the first advanced light helicopter (ALH) powered by ‘Shakti,’ is scheduled to take to the skies on August 1.

The Shakti engine, co-developed by public sector enterprise Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Turbomeca, a SAFRAN group company, under an industrial partnership contract signed in February 2003, is around 20 per cent more powerful than the ALH’s present power plant, the Turbomeca TM 333-2B2.

Shakti’s success is a considerable milestone for the indigenous, twin-engined ALH programme since all helicopters that are to be delivered to the Army and the Air Force will, once the engine gets certified, be fitted with it. The co-developed engine will also help in HAL’s attempts at indigenising the ALH. Currently, the HAL supplies around 11 per cent of the Shakti spares, including those of the lubrication system such as the oil filter and the oil cooling system. Ultimately, around 80 per cent of the engine components, except the Full Authority Digital Engine Control, will be made in India.

The success of the new engine will also bring cheer to HAL, whose ALH programme suffered a couple of setbacks in the recent past. Primarily, the forced landing of an ALH in late 2005 due to a technical hitch with its tail rotor caused by a resin problem, which resulted in all ALHs having to have their tail rotors replaced, and the fatal mishap when a Dhruv from the IAF’s aerobatic team Sarang crashed during practice for February’s Aero India 2007 jamboree.

With the existing four Shakti engines (including two prototypes) having already undergone over 40 hours of ground tests and 10 hours of endurance runs, a set of flight-worthy engines are currently being integrated into the helicopter. Once the flight tests in Bangalore are successful, the engines will have to go through high and hot weather trials in the Siachen glacier. This is expected to take place post-winter. The engines will then be sent to France for CASA certification. The HAL has already started producing the engines.

While the new engine that has been designed to meet the Army and the IAF’s demanding missions at high altitudes and in hot conditions, its first flight was originally scheduled for July 2006, with CASA certification for December 2006. It will be called Shakti in India and Ardiden in France. As per the partnership contract, Turbomeca also has the right to produce the engine. Civil variants of the Dhruv will continue to fly with the tried and trusted TM 333 2B2 engines.

The first Shakti-powered Dhruv will most likely be piloted by HAL’s Chief Test Pilot (Rotary Wing) Wg Cdr (Retd) C.D. Upadhyay. The HAL has so far manufactured around 75 ALHs, and though the defence major has an ambitious plan of rolling out 40 helicopters a year, only around 15 could be made in 2006-07.

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