India's indigenous Light Utility Helicopter reaches final certification stage for Army and IAF induction

Key facts

• The indigenously developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) has entered the final stages of certification and mission equipment integration for induction into the Indian Army and Indian Air Force.
• After certification by the Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) aims to deliver the first 12 limited series production LUHs to the Army and IAF in FY 2027-28.
• Ongoing flight trials are refining the LUH's autorotation characteristics and integrating an automatic flight control system to reduce pilot workload and improve lateral stability.
• HAL 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.
• The LUH will replace the ageing Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, designed six decades ago, with the Army beginning phase-out in a year or two and completing replacement over eight to 10 years.
• The replacement plan involves inducting LUHs and leasing similar helicopters as a stopgap to meet critical requirements.
• HAL licence-produced 625 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, signing an agreement with French firm Aerospatiale in 1970 for Cheetahs and partnering with Sud-Aviation (now Airbus) for Chetaks eight years earlier.