“The Dark Knight Rises.” This was how the Indian Army’s Spear Corps introduced the Rudra – the combat version of the Dhruv helicopter and the first home-grown attack chopper – in a new video posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The new Spear Corps’ video gives a general glimpse into what goes behind preparing the Rudra for a night combat mission.
In a section of the video titled “Arming The Beast”, Army Aviation Corps personnel are seen loading large-calibre rounds for the attack helicopter’s nose-mounted 20-mm cannon.
Soon, the Rudra is seen in a circular and green night vision scope taking off in the dark. After flying low-level for a while, it fires some rockets at a group of clustered targets in the dark, which, however, appear clear and bright in the green glow of the night vision.
The Rudra’s turret gun also opens up, firing what appears to be tracer bullets against the night sky.
“Any mission, any time, any place,” the Spear Corps said in the post on X.
The Rudra returns to base and lands gently towards the end of the video. “Valour, honour, sacrifice,” the Army Aviation Corps says in the video as it signs off.
#Rudra, Aviators of #Spearcorps, #IndianArmy
Piercing Eye in the Sky – Swift, Precise & Lethal@adgpi@easterncomd pic.twitter.com/At1un9RRD2
— SpearCorps.IndianArmy (@Spearcorps) January 19, 2024
The Rudra was designed and developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) to meet the requirements of the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army. The multirole chopper weighs 5.8 tonnes.
Its main roles are to destroy tanks, scout ahead of the main force, give fire support to ground troops, and conduct armed reconnaissance and surveillance.
HAL says the Rudra’s hover performance is “excellent” as it was designed for a high rate of climb with adequate safety margins in case of a single engine failure. It is ideal for operations from unprepared surfaces and slopes.
Apart from the 20 mm turret gun, the Rudra can also carry 70 mm rockets and short-range air-to-air missiles.
