HAL selects Power Plant for Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)

[selvan33]

HAL selects Power Plant for Light Utility Helicopter (LUH)

According to the latest issue of ” Force Magazine ”, HAL has selected Turbomeca’s Shakti 1U engine over the Rolls Royce Honeywell LHTEC CTS-800 engine to power Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) . Turbomeca’s. Shakti 1U engine is a derivative of the Shakti 1H1 engine used on Dhruv. Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) Program has been stuck due to delays in selection of the engines .

Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) is a 3-tonne, single-engine helicopter which will be inducted by the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force and will replace the fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters. HAL is already working on the first Prototype and plans are to built three prototypes before it hits production .

First flight of LUH might take place next year and HAL has no plans to built Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters and the LUH will directly enter series production after the three prototypes are built and test flown.The LUH will look to service a requirement of 184 helicopters for the three services to augment the 197 being procured through a global tender, The 197 copter bid, being contended by Eurocopter’s AS550 C3 Fennec and the Russian Ka-226T Sergei but the Deal has been Suspended, Indefinitely.

In November 2012, the bottom structure assembly of the LUH ground test vehicle was completed . Turbomeca’s. Shakti 1U engine will feature a dual channel FADEC along with an additional back up channel to provide extra safety margin for single engine operation (an important feature at high altitudes). Turbomeca will also develop the back up control and perform other minor modifications as required by HAL.
HAL selects Power Plant for Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) | idrw.org

 

[perplexed]

good ! now we can happiy retire the derelicts ( cheetah and chetak atleast in the support roles in siachen )

 

[sancho]

hakti 1U engine is a derivative of the Shakti 1H1 engine used on Dhruv

Seems like they got the price now that they wanted, the only sad thing is that 2 years was wasted.

 

[sancho]

From the original article:

Turbo Power

HAL selects the Turbomeca Shakti engine over the LHTEC CTS-800

...Now that Turbomeca has emerged the winner, the IOC is planned to be obtained by 2017, and HAL is looking to build all 187 helicopters in seven years. This would mean that deliveries would be complete by 2024-25. No Limited Series Production (LSP) helicopters are planned to be built and the LUH will directly enter series production after the three prototypes are built and test flown.

The Shakti 1U engine’s Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) will have control system software which will be specifically developed by Turbomeca for matching its single engine application on the LUH. The helicopter will feature a dual channel FADEC along with an additional back up channel to provide extra safety margin for single engine operation (an important feature at high altitudes). Turbomeca will also develop the back up control and perform other minor modifications as required by HAL. HAL's light helicopter will have an advantage over older designs as it will feature a highly agile rotor system and composite rotor blades for low maintenance. Critical aspects like the rotor system, transmission, engine and glass cockpit are state-of-the-art designs. This is important when you consider that the LUH will be in service till at least 2050, if not more!

HAL selects the Turbomeca Shakti engine over the LHTEC CTS-800

 

[perplexed]

even after spending billions on defence deals why cant we start a research on FADEC tech ? We will need it for AMCA also IMO ? How about starting a new Jet Engine ?

 

[sancho]

even after spending billions on defence deals why cant we start a research on FADEC tech ? We will need it for AMCA also IMO ? How about starting a new Jet Engine ?

Kaveri engine project has showed us how far away we are in the engine field and we shouldn't simply stumble into the next disaster. Any new engine development will need a credible foreign partner, be it this derivate of the Shakti engine, or the Kaveri K10, that most likely will end up with Snecma as a partner as well, but with reduced costs again. Apart from getting as much as possible from the co-developments, we need to further test and develop the Kaveri engine on our own, even if it was a failure for LCA, it must be the base for our engine development field and future developments.

 

[jha]

Good... Now get the heli flying at the earliest. This MoD has a knack of wasting years for such things.

 

[GR!FF!N]

why can't we junk 197 LUH bid and go ahead with indigenous one and mass produce them??

 

[ptltejas]

Kaveri engine project has showed us how far away we are in the engine field and we shouldn't simply stumble into the next disaster. Any new engine development will need a credible foreign partner, be it this derivate of the Shakti engine, or the Kaveri K10, that most likely will end up with Snecma as a partner as well, but with reduced costs again. Apart from getting as much as possible from the co-developments, we need to further test and develop the Kaveri engine on our own, even if it was a failure for LCA, it must be the base for our engine development field and future developments.

Hard to believe that foreigner help in any way. the Kaveri is also not succeed even with co partner.
reasons
1 No one want to learn others and break its own buisness
2 As other country able to built such machine u also suffer from market loss fully or partly
3 It would be better to do the partnership and to get Ideas that used in built engine (like kaveri uses carbon fibre etc.) and also to stop them from making it by help of others. moreover to satisfy only some tech is transfered like Nikle Aloy etc.

we need reverse engineering etc. and good help of Gov. the gov. false or late decisions may affect it worstly. and hence need better tech. on your own. Hard to believe we have no tech to built this type machines may be we are on wrong direction. or necessary intellectuals not available....

 

[S-DUCT]

even after spending billions on defence deals why cant we start a research on FADEC tech ? We will need it for AMCA also IMO ? How about starting a new Jet Engine ?

FADEC has been developed by DARE for Kaveri and it is named KADECU(Kaveri Digital Engine Control Unit).

GTRE has passed global tender to design and develope Brisk fan for 75KN/110KN class AMCA engine.We'll know more about participants after 30april.

 

[Astra-2013]

why can't we junk 197 LUH bid and go ahead with indigenous one and mass produce them??

that is already scrapped unofficially

 

[Anony]

Hard to believe that foreigner help in any way. the Kaveri is also not succeed even with co partner.
reasons
1 No one want to learn others and break its own buisness
2 As other country able to built such machine u also suffer from market loss fully or partly
3 It would be better to do the partnership and to get Ideas that used in built engine (like kaveri uses carbon fibre etc.) and also to stop them from making it by help of others. moreover to satisfy only some tech is transfered like Nikle Aloy etc.

we need reverse engineering etc. and good help of Gov. the gov. false or late decisions may affect it worstly. and hence need better tech. on your own. Hard to believe we have no tech to built this type machines may be we are on wrong direction. or necessary intellectuals not available....

Don't be dishearten. People generally look at the overall result and term Kaveri as complete failure. But I term Kaveri as Partial success. Following are the reason why?

1. It's marine version which can now power major warship. Yes I acknowledge that 13.5MW instead of 12.5MW that Kaveri is producing would have been better. But again that can be evolved.

2. India has now very good knowledge on Dry Thrust technology production where India lacks is the Crystal Blade technology required for Wet Thrust.

3. Kaveri can now power Indian UCAV AURA. Removal of Wet Thrust from Kaveri will only add to the stealth Technology of the UCAV.

4. Indian railways has shown interest on Kaveri Platform.

5. It will now form the basis for AMCA platform with DRDO knowing exactly where it lacks.

 

[Yogi]

FADEC has been developed by DARE for Kaveri and it is named KADECU(Kaveri Digital Engine Control Unit).

GTRE has passed global tender to design and develope Brisk fan for 75KN/110KN class AMCA engine.We'll know more about participants after 30april.

Brother got any news on the bold part..

 

[anant_s]

1. It's marine version which can now power major warship. Yes I acknowledge that 13.5MeV instead of 12.5MeV that Kaveri is producing would have been better. But again that can be evolved.

2. India has now very good knowledge on

MeV or Megaelectron volt is a unit to measure energy of fast neutrons, i suppose what you mean is Megawatt.

 

[Brahmos_2]

Great, HAL is a helicopter expert now. We need to more concentrate on Medium transport aircraft, Indian regional jet & also Tejas.