HAL Rudra

The HAL Rudra, also known as ALH-WSI, is the armed version of the HAL Dhruv utility helicopter, designed and produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. It was developed alongside the Light Combat Helicopter, but with few changes to the Dhruv airframe so that India could field an indigenous armed helicopter sooner. The Rudra carries forward looking infrared and day and night cameras, and armed models add a 20 mm turret gun, 70 mm rocket pods, anti-tank guided missiles and air-to-air missiles. Work began in December 1998 and the prototype first flew on 16 August 2007. The Indian Army, its main customer, took delivery of the first two helicopters in February 2013, and the Air Force and Navy have also shown interest.