GUEST COLUMN | Lt Gen. B.S. Pawar (retd)
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Armed Wings |
Weaponised ALH will give a lot of flexibility to the army
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The ALH also known as the Dhruv is a twin engine light utility helicopter in the
5.5 ton category, with state of the art avionics which includes weather radar
among other things, and also boasts of a world class glass cockpit. Indigenously
manufactured by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the ALH entered service
with the army in 2003 after prolonged trial evaluation over three years. Today,
the helicopter is being operated by both the army and the Indian Air Force
(IAF). In fact, due to its versatility, the ALH has been absorbed as part of the
Sarang aerobatic team of the IAF. Recently, even the Border Security Force has
inducted the ALH into its air wing for operations in the Naxal-affected areas.
The decision to have an armed version of the ALH in its inventory was taken by
the army in the late Nineties and HAL was given the task of arming the ALH — to
be called the ALH Weapon System Integrated (ALHWSI). The helicopter is slated to
be a new generation armed helicopter duly modified for fitment of all types of weapon sub systems and requisite sensors that a typical modern day attack helicopter has. Due the additional weight of weapon systems, sensors and armour plating required for protection, there is a need for the ALHWSI to be fitted with a more powerful engine. |
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The same has been
developed by the HAL in collaboration with the French Turbomeca and is called
‘Shakti’. This engine has already been trial evaluated for high altitude
operations on the utility ALH successfully and will be the standard engine on
all versions of the ALH.
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The ALHWSI will have a 20mm turret gun, 70 mm rockets, air-to-air missiles
(MBDA’s Mistral) and air-to-ground missiles (ATGM). The integration and firing
for the turret gun, rockets and air-to-air missile is already progressing well.
However, the ATGM ‘Helina’ — the air version of NAG ATGM missile being developed
by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is nowhere on the
horizon. Accordingly, as an interim measure, sanction was given by the defence
ministry to acquire ATGMs (air version) ex-import to meet the interim
requirements till Helina is ready. The army is presently scouting the world
market for a suitable ATGM for helicopters. In the fray are the Israeli Spike ER
and French PARS 3. Their selection and trial evaluation is yet to commence. It
is pertinent to note that the main weapon system on any armed/attack helicopter
is the ATGM because of the helicopters’ basic anti tank role. The absence of
this weapon system on the ALHWSI in its present form will render it ineffective
in its operational employment. Even if a suitable ATGM is selected by the end of
this year — the integration process will take another year, and a full-fledged
ALHWSI would be available for induction |
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into the army only in 2013, notwithstanding the stated claims of HAL, regarding the readiness of ALHWSI by end of this year. |
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December 2011
Issue
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