Indian govt clears operation of Army, Air Force versions of ALH Dhruv choppers
Written By Prajvi Mathur
Published: May 01, 2025, 15:10 IST | Updated: May 01, 2025, 15:10 IST
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The choppers were grounded following a crash earlier this year in which an Indian Coast Guard chopper crashed in Gujarat’s Porbandar, killing three personnel, including two pilots and one aircrew member. India news
The Indian government has cleared the resumption of the operation of the Army and Air Force versions of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv, which have been grounded for over three months. The clearance was based on the recommendations of the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee, defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited said on Thursday (May 1).
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“In furtherance of the clarification dated 11th April 2025, it is now intimated that the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Army and Air Force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations. A time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users,” HAL said in a statement on X.
In furtherance to the clarification dated 11th April 2025, it is now intimated that the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Army and Air Force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation (DI) Committee recommendations.
The Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard versions of the choppers will continue to be grounded as the investigations are still ongoing.
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The choppers were grounded following a crash earlier this year in which an Indian Coast Guard chopper crashed in Gujarat’s Porbandar, killing three personnel, including two pilots and one aircrew member. After the incident, a Board of Inquiry was launched.
According to officials, the incident occurred during a routine training sortie when the ICG ALH MK-III helicopter crashed while landing at Porbandar airport. Since the tragic incident, the choppers had been grounded.
The helicopters were given limited permission to fly following the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, to operate in Srinagar and the adjoining area for troop induction, ANI reported.
On April 22, 26 people, mainly tourists, were gunned down by terrorists in Baisaran Valley of Pahalgam in a horrific terror attack. Since the attack, the tensions between India and Pakistan have been escalating.