Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) has followed the Indian armed forces in grounding its lone Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL)-produced Dhruv light helicopter following a crash in India late last year. Indian sources say that the accident investigation points to a major defect in the aircraft’s tail rotor, although the Israeli company says the grounding order will be lifted soon. HAL and IAI in early 2004 signed a joint venture to develop and market the Dhruv, including the integration of Israeli avionics.
Source: Flight International
