HAL's winning strategy in selling the ALH

DW : You must have faced strong competition from global helicopter manufacturers in winning the Ecuador order. What was the secret of your success?

Mr. M. Fakruddin: The ALH was evaluated against well known helicopter brands. It won the contract on the basis of its price- performance ratio and the fact that it met all the requirements of the Ecuadorian customers. The operating conditions in South America are similar to the ones in India where you have high heat and humidity on the one hand and extreme cold and high altitude on the other. Having proven itself in the tough Indian conditions, the ALH Dhruv has met or exceeded all the evaluation criteria of Ecuador which led to its selection. Pilots from Ecuador who have flown the ALH are very happy with the handling and maneuverability of the helicopter.

DW : What are you doing to build on the success of the ALH with Ecuador. Are you planning to tap some more markets in South America.

Mr. M. Fakruddin: We have already met with another success- a contract with Suriname for three Chetak helicopters. We are very serious about the South American market and with this intention are setting a maintenance base in Ecuador to serve the customer. We will be participating in the Latin American Aerospace and Defense (LAAD) show in a couple of months where the ALH Dhruv will be showcased. Countries which share Ecuador’s geographical conditions such as Peru, Bolivia and Chile are our potential customers. We look forward to bidding for helicopter tenders in the ALH class as and when they are announced in South American countries. In addition, we are also looking at the Middle East and Asia as potential market for the ALH.

DW : Initially there were a lot of criticism of the ALH where many media reports were skeptical about its success. Do you feel you have silenced your critics.

Mr. M. Fakruddin: An aeronautical product takes time to develop and to achieve perfection. We listened to our Indian customers about their experiences with the ALH and continuously improved it over a period of time. The initial order of 40 helicopters helped us to qualify the helicopter in various operating environments and to make it user-friendly. The ALH can be said to be one of the best helicopters in the world in its weight category.

DW : Does ALH have international certification such as FAA in the US and the European EASA.

Mr. M. Fakruddin: We are pursuing with the EASA authorities to have the ALH achieve EASA certification. The helicopter already meets the standards of the Indian CEMILAC (military certification) and the DGCA (civil certification). In fact, the civil aviation authorities in Chile have co-validated the DGCA certification for ALH which helped us to achieve certification requirements in Ecuador.

DW : Are there plans to export the military version of the ALH as well.

Mr. M. Fakruddin: The military version develops 30% more power thanks to the “Shakti” engine developed jointly by Turbomeca and HAL which is needed to carry the additional load of weapons on the helicopter. If there is an international demand for the military version we can consider it. Right now the military version is going through its trails phase with weapons mounted.

DW : Aside of the ALH what other promising products does HAL have from the exports point of view.

Mr. M. Fakruddin: The Intermediate Jet Trainer (IJT) is the next project we are very excited about from the exports perspective. This is because there is no trainer of its type in the world market today. We will be able to supply it at a very competitive rate to countries that need a trainer which is in between a basic trainer and an advanced jet trainer. We have a head start in development as it will take many years for a new trainer of its type to be developed by any other aircraft manufacturer in the world.