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HAL poised to fly high making choppers, aircraft

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, India's premier aircraft manufacturing facility, is poised to be a major international player in the helicopter sector in the next two years.

HAL is already a key player in the manufacture of the Advanced Light Helicopter which has both military and civil roles. It can also operate from ships and is of immense use for the Coast Guard with its accurate landing capability.

India's defence forces have already placed a requirement of 300 ALHs, according to Dr C G Krishnadas Nair, chairman, HAL. Dr Nair briefed the media on his company's plans during the ongoing Aero India '98 which opened yesterday in Bangalore.

The 14-seater chopper was developed by HAL in collaboration with Eurocopter.

The ALH, versatile and capable of diverse applications, is crafted by India to meet international requirements and is acclaimed to be among the best in the world in the four to five tonne class.

Another helicopter developed by HAL, the Light Attack Helicopter, is best suited for anti-insurgency operations and to provide close support to the ground forces.

Named Lancer, this helicopter is a modified version of the Cheetah helicopter, now in use by the Indian Army for high altitude requirements. Lightweight Lancer is impregnable to enemy fire because of its bullet-proof cabin and bottom.

HAL has taken up a number of product improvement programmes for Jaguar, MiG-21, MiG-27, and the basic flying trainer HPT 32. The modified versions of these aircraft are scheduled to enter service next year. Nearly 65 per cent of the fighter fleet and 85 per cent of the trainer fleet of the Indian Air Force have been built by HAL.

The Indian Air Force is the fourth largest air force in the world. HAL has manufactured over 3,400 aircraft to date, of which a third are of indigenous design. However, in the civil aviation sector, HAL continues to be a pigmy, as most of the fleet of Indian Airlines, Air-India and the private airlines are from Boeing and Airbus Industrie.

HAL is currently thinking of forming a consortium for the production of a 100-seater passenger plane. It has bagged a firm enquiry for six 50-seater aircraft from Indian Airlines, Dr Nair revealed. The aircraft will be delivered within six months of receipt of order. Indian Airlines had floated global tenders for a 50-seater passenger aircraft and HAL was chosen for the supply.

Dr Nair said the 50-seater aircraft ATR-42-500 will be a co-production between HAL and Avions De Transport Regional of France. Work on the production of a smaller 20-seater passenger aircraft, Saras, has also been initiated in collaboration with the National Aerospace Laboratory, based in Bangalore.

The preliminary projection for Saras is a hundred pieces in the next 10 years, according to Dr Nair. Both the 50-seater and the 20-seater have good export potential.

Conceding that HAL is under all kinds of pressures vis-à-vis the major foreign players, Dr Nair said his company has launched an aggressive marketing strategy to capture a slot in the international market.

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