Soon after flying at a six-kilometer altitude, the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) project of HAL gathered momentum as the third prototype (PT3) made its maiden flight on Dec. 14, 2018.
The helicopter was flown by test pilots, retired wing commander Anil Bhambhani and retired group captain M R Anand V M.
The flight was flawless and this prototype would augment development flight testing in conjunction with other two prototypes towards certification. Based on the feedback from flight testing of PT1 and PT2, PT3 is built to the standard of deliverable configuration.
Shri R Madhavan, CMD-HAL, said with this achievement, LUH is now close to production clearance and HAL is confident of meeting requirements of the Armed Forces.
The successful completion of the first flight of third prototype of LUH is a quantum leap and will soon replace the ageing fleet of Cheetah/Chetak helicopters, said Shri Arup Chatterjee, director (eng., R&D) HAL.
The LUH is a three-ton-class, new-generation, single engine helicopter indigenously designed and developed by Rotary Wing Research and Design Center (RWR&DC) of HAL.
The first flight of LUH PT1 was carried on Sept. 6, 2016, and the second prototype flew on May 22, 2017. High altitude cold weather trials of LUH are planned for January 2019.
