An armed version of the home-grown Dhruv helicopter fitted with rockets and a 20mm gun and another version with a more powerful engine made their maiden flights here on Thursday.
The "weaponised" version of the Dhruv, built by state-run aviation major Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, is equipped with "fire and forget" air-to-air missiles, 70 mm rockets that can be fired in direct and indirect mode and a 20 mm gun turret.
The other Dhruv flew with the high-power Shakti engine that was jointly designed by HAL and France's Turbomeca. The Dhruv helicopters are currently powered by Turbomeca's TM 333-2B2 engines.
HAL officials said the Dhruv would also be equipped with "fire and forget" anti-tank guided missiles in the future. The military version of Dhruv would be capable of operating in day and night as well as in adverse weather conditions.
The Shakti engine was designed to meet the power requirements of the armed version of Dhruv at high altitudes. The new engine develops around 30 per cent more power than the 333-2B2 engine, which translates to a more than 150 per cent increase in payload capability.
Certification flight tests for the Dhruv powered by the Shakti engine would include tests in Bangalore, at sea level and at high altitudes. There will also be cold and hot weather and desert trials.
"The delivery of the first Dhruv with a Shakti engine should be made in the middle of 2009," HAL Chairman Ashok K Baweja told a press conference.
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