Bengaluru: HAL's foldable copter rotors to aid Navy

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru facility of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has found a solution to the problem faced by the Navy. Due to hangar space constraints, it was difficult for the Navy to accommodate Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruvs, which aid in the search and rescue missions.

HAL has addressed the issue by developing a folding section for the tail rotor so that it doesn’t take much space.

Mr Mahipathi, Additional General manager of Structures and Materials, HAL, told Deccan Chronicle that they got a special request from the Navy to help them fit Dhruvs within 14 metres as per the availability of space at their hangars.

“We got the request from the Navy last year. Dhruv, used for search and rescue operations, needs to be landed on ships and aircraft carriers. We came up with this idea of folding the tail rotor which gives the horizontal stability to the helicopter while flying. In the folding mechanism, two of the rotors will be folded inwards and the one will remain outward,” he said, adding that the original length of the helicopter is more than 16 metre.

The Indian Navy will be supplied with the foldable rotors soon, he said.