The Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd’s (HAL’s) airport at Bengaluru has introduced India’s first satellite-guided precision navigation system for swift landing and take off of helicopters.
Described as ‘Required Navigation Performance – Category H (RNP CAT H) helicopter approach procedure,’ it has been developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), validated through flight trials by HAL test pilots and approved by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the leading government owned aerospace company said on Friday.
This approach allows helicopters to fly highly accurate optimised paths, enabling all-weather access while safely navigating terrain and urban obstacles. The procedure reduces the approach time to HAL Airport from 12 minutes to about four minutes.
Significant milestone
Ravi K, CMD of HAL, said, “The operationalisation of India’s first RNP CAT H helicopter approach is a significant milestone for the country’s aviation ecosystem. This capability enhances the safety, efficiency and accessibility of helicopter operations and establishes a benchmark for similar procedures to be implemented at airports across the country.”
