Army, IAF resume Dhruv helicopter ops after Jan 5 crash probe

New Delhi: After nearly four months, the Centre on Thursday announced the resumption of flights for Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopters that are being used by the Indian Army and IAF, while those being operated by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard will stay grounded.

“It is intimated that the Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) army and air force versions are cleared for operations based on the Defect Investigation Committee recommendations,” an official said.

The entire fleet of 330 ALH used by the three services and coast guards was grounded following the January 5 crash of an Indian Coast Guard chopper at Porbandar, killing all three persons on board.

Sources said a time-bound plan for the resumption of operations has been worked out with the users.

Last month, emergency permissions were granted to some of the ALH being used by the army to insert troops near the forested areas of Pahalgam and other forward locations in Jammu and Kashmir after the terror strike.

Grounding of the ALH fleet came as a setback for the Indian Army, which relies on the home-grown chopper for troop movement and logistic supply. The Indian Army operates nearly 180 of these choppers, while another 75 are being flown by the Indian Air Force.

Last year, on Sept 2, another coast guard ALH crashed at Porbandar, killing three on board, while carrying out a medical evacuation mission in pitch-dark conditions at night. An expert committee reviewed the ALH fleet and suggested improvement measures that are being implemented.

The crash in January has also been reviewed by an expert panel, which suggested more testing at the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, before the final call is taken.

The ALHs, according to the officials, have flown for more than 4.5 lakh hours so far, and their safety record of having 6.5 incidents per lakh hours of flying is better than the global standard of 7.5 incidents per lakh hours of flying.