FIRST PHOTOS: HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter Makes Its First Appearance

Scoped the rather clunky mock-up of HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), on display for the first time ever at the Light Combat Helicopter inaugural flight event in Bangalore. I had written recently about how HAL was scouting for a foreign turboshaft engine for the programme. This helo is being developed to meet a 187-helicopter requirement by the Army and Air Force (over and above the 197 in the RSH competition).

Photos by Shiv Aroor

17 thoughts on “FIRST PHOTOS: HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter Makes Its First Appearance”

  1. 3 Cheers for HAL! Another Heli on the cards. HAL is getting edge in making rotorcrafts.But I have some worries regarding this one.

    I know its a mock up but still it looks bulky and very similar to ALH. How is going to be light i.e. to say in the class of cheetah and Chetak, if it has got such a fat A**. Anyways hope HAL gets it trimmed out by the time the first prototype is flown.

  2. i must say it looks vry bad… and about observation..well i dont see much hope through these tiny glass frames around the pilots… can it fly??? vvip seats seem to b in for the pilots i must say…

  3. it is heavier than cheetah…
    gross weight of cheetah is 2300 kg
    whereas LUH weights 3015 kg.Its basic empty weight is also 800 kg more than cheetah.
    But it is much better than cheetah coz it can carry 8 passengers unlike 4 by cheetah.
    most important it will be very useful in himalayas as it has service ceiling of 6500m

  4. Mahendra Singh

    ALH Dhruv was originally designed as a single engined helo with a wheeled undercarriage. After substantial design work had already been done, the ASR was changed midway and HAL was asked to produce a twin-engined helo with ski-type undercarriage. This caused delay in the ALH project. The justification for changing the ASR given at that time was that two engines were necessary for safety. Why then are we going in for a single engined helo now? Does the ASR specifically say single engined? If so, I'd say it's been created solely to avoid the Dhruv and go in for videshi maal. Is this mock-up the original ALH?

  5. why on earth do we need dhruv AND this LUH?..The dhruv is also relatively light….can somoneone enlighten me?

  6. vey nice helo..but needs modification..its too"FAT"..how can it be used in scout role as its said!
    its different than wht was show in the miniature model….but its way way better than cheetah ..and hope this helo breaks record for flying in the highest altitude….al the best hal u r the best…

  7. Nothing heard on the subject off late . With the recent crash of Chetak at Goa , the point about the obsolesence of the CheetahChetak fleet of the three services have again been driven home . It is surprising that even after nearly twelve years since the time the case for repacement of this fleet was initiated in 2000 the case is yet to reach the culmination when a large no of accidents have been attributed to tech failure and aging of the fleet.With low reliability and very short mean time between failures the services are finding it very difficult to support the fleet.It is high time that the decision makers in the South Block , take a decision on the subject and provide a much delayed repacement helicopter to CheetaChetak .

  8. The latest series of press reportlinking a serving Brig with the VVIP deal seems to be an last ditch attempt to derail the case for 197 RSH . Hows is it possible for a Brig of Indian Army to be involved , when the technical evaluation of the VVIP Helicopter was done entirely by IAF . Something seems to be very fishy in this entire story , with the strong Italian Connection considering that AW was disqualified in the campaign for 197 RSH during the Field Evaluation Trail stage .

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