As the article states
If these are the same high terrain, that are here in India, then this news
Makes we wonder about what is happening.
Different class i guess. Though will be nice if HAL gets some orders for it.
What class does the HAL Dhruv fall in? Its role in the Indian Army/navy/airforce?
the dhruv falls in 5-6 ton class ,it is 14 seater,and is used by the indian army for troop and cargo transport and for medevac roles,a weaponised version is also available capable of carrying 8-16 anti tank missiles,air to air missiles and rocket pods,it is also equipped with giat 20mm cannon.
as far as i know the indian airforce has not acquired these helicopters as of now.
the indian navy uses this helicopter for ship based asw/asuw roles as well as search and rescue roles,a naval airborne early warning version equipped with the indigenously developed sv2000 radar is currently under development,the naval dhruv is capable of carrying short to medium range anti ship missiles like the exocet ,as-15 etc,indian designed and developed lightweight torpedo known as shneya (tal) is also to arm the naval dhruvs.
the indian coast guard uses these helicopters for search and rescue,anti poaching and other coast guard related duties.
the civil version of these helicopters are used for vip transport and general transport roles.
israel has acquired 1 dhruv for vip transport duties,and nepal has acquired a few.
indian armed forces have placed firm orders for 300 of these helicopters and may acquire a further 300.
a tandem seated attack helicopter derived from dhruv is currently under development,known as the light combat helicopter,it will share dhruv's engines and transmission,main rotor and tail rotor blades,will have a modified landing gear and enhanced crew protection,indian army has a requirement for 60 of these helicopters.
