To promote ‘Make in India’, HAL invited private companies to manufacture a civilian version of its helicopter Dhruv but found no collaborators.
HAL is finding it tough to find bidders even after extending the deadline due to lesser efficiency and exorbitant operating costs of manufacturing in India.
- HAL is finding bidders for manufacturing of the civilian choppers in mass production suited for the Indian market.
- The exorbitant per unit price and license fee make the civilian version of Dhruv helicopter one of the most expensive in the world in its class.
- The estimated operating cost of the chopper will be Rs 2.1 lakh per flying hour.
- The market in India is currently dominated by European and American companies, which cost almost half of home-grown manufacturing.
- Hence, manufacturing helicopters are seen as not an economically viable option.
Economic limitations faced by HAL
- Finding and identifying consumer-base will be difficult as
currently, there is no market in India for civilian choppers
- Setting up the production line, paying license and training fees to HAL will also hinder profits.
- The price tag of a Su-30MKI made in Russia is Rs 269.77 crore whereas the one made in the Bangalore-based, state-owned HAL costs Rs 417.69 crore.
