Aircraft To Fly At Aero India In Bangalore

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Light Combat Helicopter (LCH) will be powered by the Ardiden 1H1 engine from Turbomeca, according to a Safran news release.

This new twin-engine military aircraft will take part in the flying display at Aero India air show in Bangalore.

Turbomeca will also power the new HAL- designed LUH (Light Utility Helicopter), a three-ton single-engine aircraft under development, with the Ardiden 1U engine.

The Ardiden 1 family develops 1,400 shp. The Ardiden 1H1 variant was EASA-certified in 2009 and more than 250 units have already been co-produced, under the ‘Shakti’ designation, with HAL.

First bench testing of the Ardiden 1U, the single-engine variant, took place in early December 2014 and first models were delivered to HAL by the end of 2014. EASA type certification is scheduled for 2017.

“Our participation in the LCH and LUH program builds on our track-record, established since 2003, of cooperating on the Shakti project," said Olivier Andriès, Chairman and CEO of Turbomeca. "We are extremely proud of the continued confidence placed in us by HAL."

HAL and Turbomeca are celebrating 50 years of working together on helicopter projects. The relationship started with an agreement to produce, in India, the Artouste IIIB turbine installed in the Alouette III (known as Chetak) and Lama (Cheetah). With the TM333 fitted in the civil Dhruv and the Shakti in LUH and LCH, Turbomeca has been involved in the ALH/Dhruv program since the very beginning.

Turbomeca conducts business through its Turbomeca India facility, supporting military customers and 200 civil engines in operation. Some 1,500 Turbomeca engines, most of them locally produced by HAL, are flying in the country.

FMI: www.turbomeca.com, www.safran-group.com