This is the result of a longstanding and successful relationship between Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL) and Turbomeca which began back in 1961, when the Turbomeca Artouste engine was first licensed to power the Indian Armed Forces’ Chetak (Alouette) and Cheetah (Lama) fleets.
In February 2003, Turbomeca and HAL signed three major contracts
One contract covers the co-development and co-production of Ardiden 1H (Indian name: Shakti) engines: a large number of Ardiden 1H / Shakti engines are expected to be produced.
11 % of the development will be carried by HAL out in India. A first batch of engines will be produced at Turbomeca, France, and progressively most part of the production will be transferred to India.
As a consequence of this close cooperation between HAL and Turbomeca, Indian engineers are now learning all the Shakti production know-how at the site in Bordes, France, Turbomeca's headquarters.
The first rotation is scheduled for September 2005, and the EASA certification is scheduled for December 2006.
The hundredth TM 333 2B2, destined to the Dhruv of HAL was delivered in August 2004.
Cheetal, Cheetah re-engined with TM 333 2M2
The Cheetal (former Cheetah, equivalent to the Lama, manufactured by HAL), has been re-engined with the TM 333 2M2. The first flight was completed the 1st February 2003 in Bangalore. The replacement of the Artouste engine with a Turbomeca TM 333 2M2 engine improved considerably the light helicopter's performance at altitude and increase its pay load capacity above 5,000 meters. In-flight qualification tests have been completed and were successful. Some Cheetah could be re-engined in 2005.
Chetan, Chetak re-engined with TM 333 2M2
The Chetan (former Chetak, equivalent to the Alouette III, manufactured by HAL), has been re-engined with the TM 333 2M2. The first flight was completed the 1st February 2005 in Bangalore. The replacement of the Artouste III B engine with a Turbomeca TM 333 2M2 engine decreased considerably the light helicopter's fuel consumption, and improved its useful load.
World records
November 2004 was a special month in the history of Indian helicopter industry.
On 2nd November, the Dhruv, powered by the TM 333 2B2, soared to 25000 ft (7 520m) above mean sea level. This is the record for highest altitude flown by a middle weight class helicopter.
The Cheetal, equipped with TM 333 2M2, set the world record for a landing at highest altitude by a light weight helicopter, landing at a height of 23220 ft (7070m) above mean sea level.
Both the records were rendered more impressive due to the fact that the density altitude, a major factor governing the altitude at which a helicopter can fly, was significantly higher, at 27000 ft (8 200m) for the Dhruv, and 25150 ft (7670m) for the Cheetal. The records were set in terms of density altitude, too.