Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and German defense electronics firm HENSOLDT have finalized a major technology transfer agreement to equip India’s military helicopters with LiDAR-based Obstacle Avoidance Systems (OAS). Signed at the Dubai Airshow 2025, the deal marks a significant milestone in India’s effort to localize advanced avionics and enhance helicopter safety in complex terrain.
Unlike a conventional procurement contract, the partnership includes the transfer of design data, manufacturing know-how, and integration expertise to HAL. This enables domestic production of OAS units in India, paving the way for future export opportunities and greater self-reliance in sensor technologies. The first integration will take place on HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), with the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and additional platforms to follow.
The new OAS combines HENSOLDT’s SferiSense LiDAR Sensor Head Unit with a dedicated DVE computing module, delivering real-time obstacle detection, synthetic vision, and enhanced navigation support. The system boosts pilot situational awareness in dense forests, mountainous terrain, and degraded visual environments such as fog, dust, smoke, or night operations.
LiDAR-based safety systems are seeing rapid global adoption across military helicopter fleets. The German Army deploys similar technology on its NH90 and Tiger helicopters, enabling safe maneuvering in challenging European landscapes. France utilizes LiDAR-enabled synthetic vision on its Eurocopter Tiger and Airbus H145M fleets, significantly reducing the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT). Meanwhile, the US Army employs comparable technology on select UH-60 Black Hawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters, particularly in desert and low-light conditions where visibility is frequently compromised.
