Indian Defence Forces Ground ALH Dhruv Helicopter In View Of Recent Crashes

Indian defence forces have temporarily grounded the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv in view of the recent crashes. The move has been made as a precautionary measure to prevent any further accidents. The choppers will stay grounded for more than a month or two. The decision was supplemented by the chopper crash on May 4, claiming the lives of Indian Army personnel.

ANI quotes defence officials saying, "In view of the crash in which one Army jawan lost his life on May 4, operations of the ALH Dhruv choppers have been halted as a precautionary measure by the force."

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In the incident on May 4, a chopper crashed in the Kishtwar region of Jammu and Kashmir. The hard landing of the chopper claimed the life of a technician onboard while injuring two pilots onboard. This was the third crash incident with the ALH Dhurv in the past two months. Previously, the helicopter has been involved in crashes of the Indian Coast Guard and Indian Navy. 

Official figures provided to Parliament by the Ministry of Defence show that during the previous 20 years, 22 ALHs have crashed and that several of them have necessitated numerous emergency landings throughout the nation. Six reported occurrences involving the ALH were documented between 2017 and 2021, according to statistics from the parliament.

The indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv is part of all three defence forces in India. The twin-engine, multi-role helicopter is a new generation machine in the 5.5-ton category. Currently, Indian defence forces possess 300 units of the chopper. Besides India, the Dhruv helicopter is also part of the forces of the Nepal Army, Mauritius Police & Maldives.

The major variants of the indigenously developed helicopter are Mk-I Conventional cockpit, MK-II & Mk-III Glass cockpit, MK-III Maritime Role (Navy/ Coast Guard), and MK-IV armed version.