An unconfirmed report indicated that a team of Argentinian Army was at Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) Bangalore and flew both DHRUV MK-III and M- IV.

“It was not a customer demonstration but a trial by the Argentinian pilots. The team was very satisfied by the performance of the helicopters,” sources added. Argentina is looking at ordering 20 of these units.

The DHRUV MK-III has many improvements over the first ALH iteration, which was India’s maiden export to Latin America. Since the new impetus on defence exports, the Indian foreign service and defence attaches have been burning midnight oil to find buyers for Indian-made aircraft – both rotary wing and fixed wing.

Developed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the DHRUV MK-III helicopters are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment such as modern surveillance radar and electro-optical sensors, Shakti engines, full-glass cockpit, high-intensity searchlight, advanced communication systems, automatic identification system as well as search-and-rescue homer.

These features enable the helicopter to undertake maritime reconnaissance as well as carry out search and rescue at extended ranges while operating from ships, day or night.

The Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) is one of the most modern helicopters currently in service with the Indian Air Force (IAF). It has high-intensity searchlights, a full glass cockpit, Shakti engines, electro-optical sensors, and more. India has so far produced more than 335 DHRUV helicopters.

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has achieved restricted type certification for its indigenously developed helicopter platform, the HAL Dhruv, from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Brussels, Belgium. This historic achievement validates HAL’s capacity to design and manufacture helicopters that meet the stringent certification requirements set by the European aviation regulatory authorities.

HAL has proven its dedication to upholding the highest standards of safety and quality in its aircraft designs by complying to the stringent European certification requirements. The EASA certification system involves a thorough assessment of a number of aspects, including design, manufacture, maintenance, and operational procedures, to make sure that the certified aircraft meet or surpass the established criteria.

The HAL Dhruv, renowned for its strong performance and adaptability, has already demonstrated its endurance in a variety of difficult circumstances, including military operations, search and rescue missions, disaster relief operations, and the transportation of personnel and cargo. Dhruv now has formal confirmation that it complies with European aviation standards by the EASA certification, which increases its trustworthiness and appeal to consumers.

Three of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters had crashed since March, forcing military to ground fleet twice.

After detailed checks of the grounded fleet, the Indian military has finally identified metallurgical and design flaw in a critical component of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) — a workhorse of the armed forces — that had caused some of the recent accidents.

This was both a design flaw and a metallurgical issue the source said.

Sources in the defence and security establishment said that the helicopters are being operated again, but the parts are being changed on a priority basis and their flying life has been reduced from what it was earlier.

Along with the ALHs, the indigenous Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) was also grounded and underwent a full technical check by the armed services. This was because the LCH is also a variant of the ALH and, hence, shares the same parts and technology.