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India Hindustan Aeronautics Limited
Dhruv
India's indigenous twin-engine utility helicopter, operated by the Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard and exported to several countries, forming the base airframe for the armed Rudra and light-combat variants.
In service since 2002 · 5 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
291
km/h
630
km range
6,000
m ceiling
0
kg payload
💲 ≈ $8,000,000 — Approximate export unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
National export licensing
Subject to India export-control approval; verify eligibility with the manufacturer.
Channel: Direct commercial / G2G
Fielded & proven
Established · 5 operators
In service since 2002. Status: active · ~340 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$20M – $28M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost — operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 291 km/h Stronger than 40% of helicopters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 630 km Stronger than 44% of helicopters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 6,000 m Stronger than 69% of helicopters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 0 kg Bottom 2% of helicopters
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 15.87 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 4.98 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 2,500 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 5,500 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
- Troop capacity
Number of embarked troops/passengers (IFV, APC, transport). Higher carries more.
- 12 Stronger than 32% of helicopters
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2× HAL/Turbomeca Shakti turboshaft
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turboshaft
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $8,000,000 Top 4% of helicopters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 340 Stronger than 72% of helicopters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 5 Stronger than 64% of helicopters
Specifications compiled from public Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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Boeing AH-64E Apache Guardian Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv has a maximum speed of 291 km/h.
What is the range of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv has a maximum range of 630 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv can carry up to 0 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv weigh? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv has a combat weight of 5,500 kg.
How many crew does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv require? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv requires a crew of 2.
What engine does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv use? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv is powered by the 2× HAL/Turbomeca Shakti turboshaft.
How many countries operate the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv is operated by 5 countries.
How much does the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv cost? +
The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited Dhruv has an approximate unit cost of 8,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration — treat this as directional.
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