March 04, 2013: HAL has its hands full, as a result of which the all-important Indian Mult-irole Helicopter (IMRH) programme has taken a back-seat. However, with conceptual development between HAL and the three armed forces progressing well, HAL Chairman R.K. Tyagi has revealed that the configuration and parameters for the proposed platform could be frozen by early next year. Foreign platforms including the Eurocopter EC725 Caracal and Sikorsky S-92 are interested in partnering with HAL for the proposed effort. To save time on an ab initio effort, the IMRH will almost certainly be a partnership, or a modified version of an existing helicopter with significant workshare for HAL.

The proposed 13 tonne IMRH will have a maximum speed of 275 km/h and a service ceiling of 6,500 metres. The armed forces have stipulated in discussions that they are looking for a platform with a 3,500 kg payload. An internal assessment HAL suggests that the demand for the IMRH could be as much as 400 helicopters. Interestingly, the IMRH could also spin off a civil VVIP variant at a later stage.