Not to be confused with INS Dhruv, a ship operated by the Indian Navy.
Dhruv
Dhruv Mk.I with the Sarang display team
Role
Utility helicopter
Type of aircraft
National origin
India
Manufacturer
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Design group
Rotary Wing Research and Design Center[1]
First flight
20 August 1992[2]
Introduction
March 2002[3]
Status
In service
Primary users
Indian Army Indian Air Force Indian Navy See Operators
Produced
1992–present
Number built
400+ (January 2024)[4]
Variants
HAL Rudra
Developed into
HAL Prachand HAL Light Utility Helicopter
The HAL Dhruv (lit: "Firm")[5] is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requirement for design changes, budget restrictions, and sanctions placed on India following the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The name comes from a Sanskrit origin word dhruv which means unshakeable or firm.[6]
Dhruv entered service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators, with military variants of the helicopter being developed for the Indian Armed Forces, while a variant for civilian/commercial use has also been developed. Military versions in production include transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants.
As of January 2024, more than 400 Dhruvs have been produced for domestic and export markets logging more than 340,000 flying hours.[4][7]
^"Rotary Wing". Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. Archived from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
^"Equipment: Dhruv". Indian Army. Archived from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
^Jackson, Paul; Munson, Kenneth; Peacock, Lindsay (2004). Jane's All the World's Aircraft (95th ed.). Coulsdon: Jane's. ISBN 0-71062614-2.
^ abPhilip, Snehesh Alex (22 October 2022). "Over 400 indigenous Dhruv and its variant helicopters built since 2002, but at least 23 crashed". The Print. Retrieved 21 March 2024.
^https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/dhruv
^"Monier-Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary - ध". sanskrit.inria.fr. Archived from the original on 21 September 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
^Thapar, Vishal (19 January 2022). "HAL Signs Contract For Export Of Dhruv Helicopter To Mauritius". Business Standard. Archived from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
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