3. INTRODUCTION
• Rudra is an attack helicopter manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
(HAL), for the Indian Army.
• It is the Weapon System Integrated (WSI) Mk-IV variant of
the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH).
• Rudra is the first armed helicopter being produced indigenously in India.
• The HAL Rudra helicopter can be deployed in wide range of missions,
including reconnaissance, troop transport, anti-tank warfare and close air
support.
4.
5. DESIGN
• Development for the WSI variant was authorised in December 1998. The
prototype made its first flight in August 2007.
• Rudra completed a final round of weapon firing trials in September 2011.
• The 20mm turreted gun was tested during these trials.
• Rudra has a length of 15.8m, main rotor diameter of 13.2m and a height of
4.9m. The maximum take-off weight of the helicopter is 5,500kg.
• Rudra can carry a payload of 2,600kg.
6.
7. COCKPIT
• The advanced glass cockpit of Rudra houses crash-worthy seats for
accommodating two crew members.
• The night vision goggle (NVG) compatible cockpit is equipped with
multifunction displays, dual flight controls and automatic flight control
system.
• The avionics suite integrates a global positioning system, FLIR, HF/UHF
communications radio, Infrared Friend or Foe (IFF) identification system,
Doppler navigation and a radio altimeter.
8.
9. ARMAMENT
• The Nexter THL-20 chin mounted gun turret is fitted with a 20mm M621
automatic cannon.
• The gun can fire at a rate of 750 rounds per minute.
• It has an effective range of 2,000m.
• The stub wings of Rudra can be fitted with up to eight Helina (Helicopter-
launched Nag) anti-tank guided missiles, four MBDA Mistral short-range air-
to-air missiles or four rocket pods for 68mm/70mm rockets.
10.
11. ENGINES
• The HAL Rudra helicopter is powered by two HAL / Turbomeca
Ardiden 1H1 (Shakti) turboshaft engines.
• Each engine delivers a maximum continuous power of 1,067kW.
• The operation of the engines is controlled by full authority digital
engine control (FADEC) system.
• The helicopter has a fixed-type metal skid landing gear. The tail
section features a tail skid to protect the tail rotor during tail-
down landings.
