Hyderabad, Feb. 1 -- Plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has fixed a nagging flaw afflicting a key component of the transmission system of the navy and coast guard's Dhruv advanced light helicopters and they are likely to be cleared to fly again in April, ending the longest grounding of an aircraft in the Indian military, HAL chief DK Sunil said on Saturday.

The workhorse twin-engine fleet was grounded in January 2025 following a fatal coast guard crash.

"HAL has started upgrading the swashplate assembly mounted around the Dhruv ALH's main rotor mast to boost its fatigue tolerance in a harsh marine environment, and the exercise will be completed by March-end. The swashplate assembly life has been significantly improved through ref...