HAL’s Light Utility Helicopter completes high altitude trials

State-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday said that the indigenously designed and developed Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) has successfully completed high altitude tests in the Himalayas. The Bengaluru-based HAL said that the trials were carried out by the test pilots from HAL, IAF and the Army from August 24 to September 2.

HAL released a statement saying that the LUH successfully demonstrated high altitude capability in hot and high weather conditions in the Himalayas. The Chairman and Managing Director of HAL, R Madhavan, said that LUH managed to comply with all the requirements placed before it by the users.

“All planned tests were successfully demonstrated. A comprehensive test plan was executed at Leh (3,300 m) in temperatures up to Internationa Standard Atmosphere (ISA) +32°C which included envelope expansion, performance and flying qualities. The LUH then lifted off from Leh and demonstrated its hot and high hover performance at Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) Advanced Landing Ground (ALG) at 5,000 m followed by another forward helipad (5,500 m at ISA +27°C),” read the HAL statement.

The statement noted that while these extreme weather conditions impose flight restrictions on all other civil and military aircraft, LUH continued to fly without any problem as it is designed for such operations. The LUH succeeded in completing a 3,000-km journey from Bengaluru to Leh over a period of three days traversing many civil and military airfields. According to HAL, this highlights the LUH’s “high reliability without any service support.”