The Army and Air Force variants of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which had been grounded since January, have now been approved for flying again. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the company that manufactures the Dhruv helicopters, announced on Thursday that following the recommendations of the Defect Investigation Committee, these helicopters have been cleared for operational use. “It is now intimated that the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Army and Air Force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations,” the defence PSU conveyed in a statement. The statement also mentioned that a clear timeline has been set in coordination with users for restarting operations.

Earlier, all 330 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALHs) operated by the armed forces were temporarily grounded after an ALH Mark-III of the Indian Coast Guard crashed during a training mission on January 5 in Porbandar, Gujarat, claiming the lives of all three crew members. Additionally, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) recommended that civilian operators suspend the use of helicopters until the cause of the crash was determined. 

The ALH Dhruv was notably absent from Aero India 2025. For the first time in two decades, the Indian Air Force’s Sarang Helicopter Display Team did not perform their formation aerobatics at the event, as the ALH Dhruv helicopters remain grounded. This grounding caused a shortage of helicopters for the armed forces, impacting their operational capabilities.

However, in response to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, the Army has restarted flying the ALH Dhruv in the Anantnag region of Jammu and Kashmir as of last week.