Rotorcraft Research and Development in India

It can be argued that rotorcraft represent some of the most complex of flight vehicles, due to the strong aeroelastic interactions between highly flexible rotor blades and unsteady aerodynamic forces. The challenge of designing a helicopter with low vibration levels, enhanced safety and low acoustic signature remains significant. Moreover, predictive capability of helicopter aeroelastic analysis lags behind that of fixed wing aircraft, leading to higher levels of experiments and testing. Helicopters therefore remain costly to manufacture and maintain compared to fixed wing aircraft. However, because of their unique ability to fly vertically and slowly, helicopters have niche applications in search and rescue operations, reconnaissance, civil transport and military. Helicopters are useful for short distance travel in densely populated Asian countries, as has been already shown in Japan, and is increasingly happening in India and China. However, the use of helicopters is limited due to high costs which could be alleviated by spreading the science and technology of rotary wing flight internationally. For example, automobile technology has spread worldwide and has resulted in lower costs with increased innovation. Interestingly, substantial rotorcraft activity has occurred in India in the last two decades such as the development of indigenous helicopters and increasing contribution to basic research as measured by journal publications. This paper will cover the research activities on helicopters in India, with emphasis on the last 10 years. In this paper, the research will be divided into work done at three key institutions: (1) Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, (2) Indian Institute of Technologies and (3) Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bangalore.