NEW DELHI — Three army officers had a narrow escape after their Cheetah helicopter crashed in the mountainous Tangste region near Leh, officials familiar with the matter said on Saturday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday but was reported on Friday.
A lieutenant colonel and a major were piloting the single-engine chopper and their passenger was Major General Sachin Mehta, General Officer Commanding of 3 Infantry Division, HT has learnt.
Officials said all three occupants of the chopper walked away with minor injuries, calling the incident no less than a miracle and adding that a probe into what caused the crash was underway.
Meanwhile, officials said that the Indian Army will begin to phase out its ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters in a year or two, and replace them with new light utility helicopters over the next eight to 10 years, as part of the Army Aviation Corps’ drive to modernise its capabilities.
The army’s planned two-pronged replacement approach involves inducting locally produced light utility choppers and leasing similar choppers as stopgaps to meet critical requirements. The army needs around 250 new helicopters.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which licence-produced 625 Cheetah and Chetak choppers for use across defence services, no longer builds them but is responsible for their maintenance and repair.
In 1970, HAL signed an agreement with French aerospace firm Aerospatiale to produce Cheetahs, eight years after it tied up with another French firm, Sud-Aviation (now Airbus), to manufacture Chetaks.
HAL expects the army and Indian Air Force to place combined orders for at least 187 light helicopters. The army has already ordered six limited series production LUHs, with a top speed of 220 kmph, a service ceiling of 6.5 km, and an operational range of 350 km.
Currently, Cheetah and Chetak helicopters remain a critical lifeline for troops in high-altitude areas, including the Siachen glacier. A string of crashes has led to recent scrutiny of the choppers’ safety record. Over 15 Cheetahs and Chetaks have crashed in the last 10-12 years, killing several pilots.
Officials said the existing fleet is airworthy and has a few years of technical life left. — (HT)