HAL opens key helicopter testing facility

Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) yesterday inaugurated a key testing facility which will enable it to become totally self-sufficient in repairing and overhauling helicopters of whichever make and size. Deputy chief of naval staff S V Gopalachari inaugurated on Saturday the Sea King transmission test facility which will carry out acceptance tests on gearboxes after repairs and servicing.

The gear test stand, supplied by ZF Luftfahrttechnik of Germany, the largest of its kind in the world, can test different types of helicopter gear boxes, thus saving time and money needed to send equipment out of the country for testing. An annual saving of Rs 6 crore is currently expected, the figure going up as more work becomes available.

Due to the US imposed sanctions on India in 1998, the agreement between the Indian Navy and Westland Helicopters of the UK for the latter to repair the Sea King helicopters sold by it to the Navy was rendered useless. Even items with Westland previously sent were not returned. It was then that the Navy turned to HAL to help repair and overhaul the helicopters.

As a result, HAL's helicopter division has now come up with a repair and overhaul facility for Sea King helicopters for Rs 71 crore.

N R Mohanty, chairman of HAL, at the inauguration ceremony said, "This is an important day in the history of HAL. When the Sea King were virtually grounded, we rose to the occasion. The lesson from this is that you can't twist our arm."

Mohanty also said he was "proud of India's private sector who have helped greatly in indigenising spares.

All this has created a technological base in the country and also created customer confidence."