Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Apache helicopter made an emergency landing in Bhind, Madhya Pradesh on Monday, May 29. Due to a technical fault in the helicopter, the pilot of the Apache made an emergency landing as a precautionary measure.
A statement given by officials post the incident praised the presence of mind of the pilot to make the necessary call and avert a major accident. The officials said that "due to the presence of mind of the pilot, a major accident was averted". They further added that the helicopter will be flown out shortly.
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As per a research conducted by aviation expert Anchit Gupta last year, at least 152 IAF pilots and 534 aircrafts were lost to accidents and crashes in the past 30 years.
As per Gupta’s research, the number of accidents that resulted in loss of aircraft were between 20 and 30 for the majority of the 1990s, 10 and 20 through the 2000s and between single and double figures until 2022.
The AH-64 Apache is the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopter. It holds the reputation of the world’s most advanced and proven attack helicopter. The AH-64 Apache is an American twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a crew of two.
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It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems. It has a network-centric, fully integrated weapon system specifically built to dominate in a highly contested and complex battle space.
The Indian Air Force has a fleet of 22 AH-64E Apache attack helicopters, and in 2020, Boeing signed an agreement for the acquisition of six more Apache helicopters for the Indian Army.
Other than India, several other countries have also acquired AH-64 Apache from the US. Egypt, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom all have Apache AH-64.
(with inputs from agencies)
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