India clinches first foreign sale for Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter

26 Jun 2008

1

New Delhi: A proud moment for the nation, and indeed a day to remember for State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), with the conclusion of an agreement for the sale of seven 'Dhruv' Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) to the Ecuadorean Air Force. The agreement envisages the sale of  seven of these choppers at an overall price of $50.7 million (Rs216.70 crore).

Dhruv helicopters India's ministry of defence (MoD) said the contract for the supply of the helicopters is likely to be signed within a few weeks.

Only yesterday it was announced that a deal may also have been struck with another South American nation, Peru, for two Dhruv helicopters in a heli-ambulance version. 

The deal with Ecuador envisages the supply of the helicopters in a semi knock-down condition to the Republic in a time-frame of 15 months to two years, defence ministry officials said. The first helicopter is likely to be delivered by HAL in six month's time, according to a MoD statement.

The statement also said that HAL bagged the order amidst strong competition from Israeli firm Elbit, EADS subsidiary, and global helicopter major, Eurocopter, and Russian major, Kazan. It also said that HAL's offer of $ 50.7 million for the seven choppers was about 32 per cent lower than the second lowest bid from Elbit.

With the deal, India now joins a select group of nations with the capability to bid for international contracts for choppers. So far, the helicopter market has been dominated by US, European companies and Russia.

Though Dhruv has been making waves in international air shows the world over for the past two years,  it had failed to secure any sales. It came very close to sealing a deal with the Chilean armed forces two years ago, but last minute arm twisting by the Americans in favour of the Bell 412 saw it lose out. 

So far, HAL has already supplied 76 helicopters to the defence services and has notched up an excellent serviceability record.

It is presently executing orders for 159 more helicopters for the Army and the Air Force.

Business History Videos

History of hovercraft Part 3...

Today I shall talk a bit more about the military plans for ...

By Kiron Kasbekar | Presenter: Kiron Kasbekar

History of hovercraft Part 2...

In this episode of our history of hovercraft, we shall exam...

By Kiron Kasbekar | Presenter: Kiron Kasbekar

History of Hovercraft Part 1...

If you’ve been a James Bond movie fan, you may recall seein...

By Kiron Kasbekar | Presenter: Kiron Kasbekar

History of Trams in India | ...

The video I am presenting to you is based on a script writt...

By Aniket Gupta | Presenter: Sheetal Gaikwad

view more