India’s state-owned aerospace firm Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) has secured a Rs 2,900 crore (approximately $319 million) contract to supply six Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH Mk-III) to the Indian Coast Guard, a deal that signals renewed trust in the aircraft just over a year after a fatal crash grounded its entire maritime fleet.

Stainless steel at the heart of the fix

The contract comes on the back of significant engineering changes made to the Dhruv following a January 2025 crash that triggered a five-month grounding of all maritime variants. Investigations pointed to fatigue-induced fractures in the helicopter’s non-rotating swashplate assembly. HAL responded by redesigning the swashplate to handle higher mechanical stress.

Critically, the aluminium rods used in the systems that control how a pilot steers and manoeuvres the helicopter were replaced with stronger, high-tensile stainless-steel rods.

Stainless steel offers considerably greater durability and resistance to metal fatigue compared to aluminium, making it a logical upgrade for components under repeated rotational stress. This shift to stainless steel is widely regarded as a key reason the contract could move forward with confidence.

What the helicopters will do

The six new ALH Mk-IIIs are twin-engine rotorcraft powered by HAL/Safran Shakti-1H1 turboshaft engines. Each helicopter weighs approximately 5.5 tonnes and is purpose-built for maritime operations.

Once inducted, the helicopters will bolster the Coast Guard’s capacity to protect offshore oil and gas installations, safeguard artificial islands, and carry out search-and-rescue missions for fishermen in distress.

Environmental monitoring over India’s vast coastline is also part of the mandate. The contract includes performance-based logistics support, ensuring long-term maintenance is built into the agreement from the outset.

A comeback contract

The order is a significant vote of confidence in HAL’s indigenous rotorcraft programme following a difficult period. The Dhruv has faced scrutiny over its safety record, and the 2025 grounding put its future with Indian defence services under the spotlight.

With structural upgrades now in place, particularly the stainless-steel component replacements, and a fresh government contract secured, HAL’s Dhruv programme appears to be back on course.