HAL’s prompt resolution of Tail Drive Shaft problem
New Delhi: A cautious and conservative approach to aviation safety is demonstrated by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s recent decision to increase maintenance following a technical problem with the Tail Drive Shaft (TDS) of its Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv fleet.
HAL on Sunday announced to reiterate its emphasis on operational reliability and airworthiness in both military and commercial aviation—by ordering a One-Time Check (OTC) on the entire fleet.
The move comes after a comprehensive and joint inquiry with the Indian Army, with specialised teams being assigned to track the origin of the defect, HAL officials said. HAL’s insistence on rigid compliance with maintenance procedures is not just bureaucratic but an acknowledgement that safety can never be sacrificed, they underlined.
In bringing its measures in line with global standards of aviation, the company has reaffirmed that active management of risks will go a long way in avoiding incidents before they happen.
The ALH Dhruv has led the country to distinction for over two decades, with over 4.5 lakh flight hours in varied and hostile terrain.
The helicopter has demonstrated its robustness and versatility, ranging from high-altitude Himalayan missions to coastal surveillance and disaster-relief tasks.
HAL’s emphasis on the aircraft’s contribution to current flood-relief operations, with pilots having executed high-risk evacuations, underlines the armed forces’ ongoing trust in this home-grown platform.
To address the problem, HAL’s technical groups are pulling out all stops.
Definitive inspections are being done to study fracture causes, fatigue modes, and material defects at macroscopic and microscopic levels.
This is supplemented by stress and load modelling to learn about the influence of cyclic stress and operating conditions—factors that are the usual suspects behind mechanical failures.
The routine checks also emphasise lubrication schedules, joint condition, and alignment procedures to ensure that wear and tear are corrected while still in their initial stages.
In addition, HAL is working with the Indian Army to examine operational trends and environmental stressors like high-altitude stress and coastal corrosion that may speed up component deterioration.
Where required, design reviews and manufacturing audits are being commissioned to rectify deficiencies stemming from material properties, stiffness mismatches, or production tolerances. The objective is not just to fix the instant issue but to fortify the system against future threats.
Though the Indian Army has decided to withhold comment on the review process, its continued deployment of the ALH helicopters for high-stakes missions is a testament to the platform’s operational significance and reliability. HAL’s reply, then, is not merely about fixing a flaw—it is about reasserting the credibility of an aircraft that is significant to national security and human-relief missions.
By meeting this challenge with rigour, collaboration, and transparency, HAL has shown the way in which technological superiority needs to be complemented by a safety culture, accountability, and robustness. The ALH Dhruv’s odyssey goes on, buoyed both by its performance and by the integrity with which it is kept.
