SOURCE: RAUNAK KUNDE / NEWS BEAT / IDRW.ORG.
Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) program that has been proposed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has entered the detailed design phase and soon will be presented for the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) approval for the funding of the program post which Prototype will be ready for first flight four years after CCS approval confirmed HAL official to idrw.org.
IMRH scale model displayed at Aero India has been further optimised and some design changes have been carried out and the design has been frozen. HAL will also be developing a Deck-Based Multi-Role Helicopter a Naval variant of the IMRH but with a higher All-up weight of 14 tons for an increased range.
HAL officials also confirmed that four years of developmental flight testing will be carried out before it is cleared for production and will replace older Russian Mi-17I Medium Transport Helicopters first and subsequently the newer variants Mi-17 V5.
HAL expects orders for nearly 400 units from the Indian Armed Forces in the next 20 years for the variants of IMRH and DBMRH and the program will be implemented under the special purpose vehicle (SPV) model involving private players holding the majority stake in the company.
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