Bengaluru witnessed the maiden flight of HAL's Dhruv NG helicopter on Tuesday. This new 5.5-tonne, light twin-engine chopper is designed and made by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. HAL said the Dhruv NG is built to handle the tough and varied Indian terrain. It is tailored to meet global civil aviation standards while boosting safety, comfort, and performance. Key features include twin Shakti 1H1C engines with enhanced power and Indian internal maintenance. It has a civil-certified glass cockpit meeting AS4 norms, advanced avionics for better situational awareness, crashworthy seats, and self-sealing fuel tanks. The twin-engine setup offers high redundancy, and advanced vibration control promises a smooth ride. Its cabin, with 7.33 cubic meters space, is highly configurable. The versatile helicopter is suitable for VIP transport, passenger use, air ambulance (HEMS), law enforcement, disaster relief, and search and rescue operations. HAL proudly calls this a milestone in India's indigenous rotary-wing technology.