J&K Chopper Crash: Indian Army Grounds ALH Dhruv Fleet Till Full Clearance

In what marks the latest development, the Indian Army has grounded the entire fleet of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv following the crash of one of the choppers in Jammu and Kashmir that killed one.

On Thursday, an ALH Dhruv with two pilots and one technician on board crashed following a “hard landing” in Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir.

In the unfortunate incident, a technician was killed while the two pilots were left grievously injured. As a precautionary measure, the Army temporarily grounded the entire ALH Dhruv fleet.

The Navy and the Coast Guard had grounded their respective ALH Dhruv fleets in March following two similar incidents involving the platform.

According to PTI, ALH Dhruv choppers with the Navy and the Coast Guard are currently undergoing technical checks.

Meanwhile, the helicopters that have reportedly been cleared in the scrutiny process are flying now.

The Indian Air Force operates around 70 ALH Dhruv.

In a similar incident in March, Indian Navy had taken a similar decision. The helicopters in its fleet are awaiting clearance.

The Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter is a workhorse for the Indian Armed Forces.

As far as its use with the Indian Army is concerned, it flies to extremely high altitudes to serve soldiers in the Siachen glacier and Ladakh and thus holds greater significance in view of the Indo-China border conflict.

In recent times, there have been concerns about mechanical defects and reliability in the forces.

(With PTI inputs)

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