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Navy, Coast Guard Dhruvs to Get Swashplate-Bearing Fix Before Return to Flight

Investigators traced a swashplate‑bearing failure to harsh maritime use, prompting batch retrofits before naval and Coast Guard helicopters fly again.

Overview

  • About 28 naval and Coast Guard Dhruv helicopters will receive batch‑wise modifications to the Non‑Rotating Swashplate Bearing, according to officials cited in new reports.
  • Clearance to resume operations is targeted in roughly six months once retrofits and additional checks are completed.
  • The Defect Investigation Committee linked the January 5 crash to a fractured NRSB and recommended a manufacturing process improvement for maritime variants.
  • HAL conducted sea‑trial testing off Visakhapatnam on representative Navy and Coast Guard helicopters to validate fixes under real‑world conditions.
  • Army and IAF Dhruvs were cleared to fly after separate checks, while naval and Coast Guard fleets remain grounded pending the component modification.