ALH Dhruv and the Indian Helicopter Industry: Unrealised Potential, Promises and Challenges

For more than half a century, independent India’s aircraft manufacturing has been dominated by, and entirely limited to, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The helicopter, in particular, was seen almost exclusively as a platform of military utility. Therefore, other than the defence forces, paramilitary and a few state governments, civilian use of helicopters was almost unheard of until recently. Commencing from the 1990s, awareness about the utility of helicopters for civilian use increased rapidly due to its widespread use by political parties during elections.