NEW DELHI: Taking the first step towards involving the private industry in the production of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv under Transfer of Technology, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) held a workshop on Saturday.
Chairing the meeting Defence Production Secretary (DP) Ajay Kumar met the potential partners in Bengaluru.“The workshop was chaired by Dr Ajay Kumar, Secretary, Defence Production in the presence of Mr. R. Madhavan, CMD, HAL here today,” said HAL in a statement.
“Dhruv has a huge potential in the domestic and global civil market and with HAL as the OEM and Licensor, the deal will benefit the Indian partners immensely and help develop the aerospace eco-system in India. As of now, India needs at least 600 helicopters in civil sector,” said Madhavan.
But many experts view the development differently. Speaking to this paper, a senior Air Force helicopter pilot said, “This is a good move but there is still a long way to go. Just one ALH Dhruv is currently with the government operator Pawan Hans. Even the state governments go for foreign manufactured helicopters,” said the aviation expert.