Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and HENSOLDT sign landmark agreement at Dubai Airshow 2025 for advanced helicopter Obstacle Avoidance System (OAS)

Enhancing flight safety and mission effectiveness

The OAS solution combines HENSOLDT’s SferiSense LiDAR Sensor Head Unit and DVE Computer providing pilots with real-time situational awareness, superior navigation cues, and advanced synthetic vision—significantly reducing the risk of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) and enabling missions in the harshest operational environments, including “brownout,” “whiteout,” and degraded visual conditions.

The system will first equip HAL’s Light Combat Helicopter (LCH), followed by integration on the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and other Indian Armed Forces platforms.

**Executive statements **

Andleeb Shadman, Head of HENSOLDT Business Development for India Region
“This partnership goes far beyond a conventional supply arrangement. It represents a strategic investment in India’s defence industrial ecosystem through genuine technology transfer, shared IP, and local manufacturing. By enabling HAL to produce, integrate, and eventually export this advanced OAS technology, we are directly supporting India’s Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat vision. Few nations possess indigenous LiDAR-based obstacle avoidance capability—this collaboration ensures India becomes one of them. Together with HAL, we are building not just a system, but long-term sovereign capability.”

Eugen Maier, Head of Sales, Airborne Solutions, HENSOLDT
“This agreement validates the performance, maturity, and operational advantage of HENSOLDT’s LiDAR and DVE technology. Our OAS systems have already proven themselves across European helicopter fleets by offering unmatched detection capability, high reliability, and real-time situational awareness in the most demanding scenarios. With HAL as our partner, we are confident that the Indian Armed Forces will benefit from the same high-performance technology that is trusted internationally for mission-critical operations.”

A leap forward in Indian indigenous capabilities

Under the agreement:

• HENSOLDT will share design and manufacturing IPR with HAL enabling long-term indigenous sustainment.
• HAL will have manufacture, integrate, supply and provide after sales support for the OAS to Indian military helicopter customers
• HAL will have the rights to export the solution globally.
• The partnership ensures that India develops and owns a LiDAR-based helicopter obstacle avoidance system—an advanced capability only a few countries have mastered.