Light utility helicopter enters final stages of certification: Officials

CEMILAC’s certification framework for the LUH has been shaped by stringent military airworthiness requirements and the operational demands of Army Aviation.

The indigenously developed light utility helicopter (LUH), critical to meeting the operational requirement of the Indian Army and Indian Air Force, has entered the final stages of certification and mission equipment integration, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

LUH will replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, whose safety record has been blemished by a string of crashes. (HT Sourced Photo)

Once the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) clears the helicopter for induction into service, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to deliver the first 12 limited series production LUHs to the army and IAF in FY 2027-28, officials said.

“Some improvements are underway to boost the helicopter’s performance and operational capability. Flight testing and certification activities for these enhancements are currently in an advanced stage for issuance of a ‘military type certificate’ by CEMILAC for the LUH’s induction into service,” said one of the officials cited above.

Flight trials

Ongoing flight trials are focused on refining the helicopter’s autorotation characteristics and integrating an automatic flight control system (AFCS) to reduce pilot workload and improve lateral stability, among other things, HT has learnt. Autorotation is an emergency manoeuvre that enables a helicopter to land safely following engine power loss.

CEMILAC’s certification framework for the LUH has been shaped by stringent military airworthiness requirements and the operational demands of Army Aviation, the officials said. Military airworthiness certification requires an aircraft to demonstrate safe and reliable performance across an extensive operational envelope. “For the LUH, this includes operations in hot-and-high conditions, mountainous terrain, and sandy and dusty environments typical of Army Aviation missions,” said a second official.

Operational feedback from the LUH flying units of the two services will be incorporated into subsequent production batches. The state-run aircraft maker expects the army and IAF to place combined orders for at least 187 light helicopters. The LUH is intended for reconnaissance and surveillance, logistics support, troop movement, casualty evacuation, training, disaster relief, and high-altitude operations.

HAL has established dedicated LUH production facilities at Tumakuru, with an initial capacity of around 30 helicopters annually, scalable to about 60 based on future requirements.

Replacing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters

LUH will replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, whose safety record has been blemished by a string of crashes. The military is looking at a swift replacement of these helicopters that were designed six decades ago.

The army will begin phasing out its Cheetah and Chetak fleets in a year or two and replace them with LUHs over the next eight to 10 years, as part of the Army Aviation Corps’ drive to modernise its capabilities. The planned two-pronged replacement approach involves inducting LUHs and leasing similar choppers as a stopgap to meet critical requirements.

HAL licence-produced 625 Cheetah and Chetak choppers for use across defence services. It no longer builds them but is responsible for their maintenance and repair. In 1970, HAL signed an agreement with French aerospace firm Aerospatiale to produce Cheetahs, eight years after it partnered with another French firm, Sud-Aviation (now Airbus), to manufacture Chetaks.