Army Clears Grounded 'Dhruv' Chopper Fleet For Flight, But Conditions Apply
NDTV
The clearance is, however, conditional and the choppers have been permitted to only operate in "limited and emergency operations", sources said.
Nearly a month after the army grounded its fleet of Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) 'Dhruv' after a chopper crash in Jammu and Kashmir', the indigenous helicopters have been cleared for flight. The clearance is, however, conditional and the choppers have been permitted to only operate in "limited and emergency operations", sources said.
Only those helicopters that have been thoroughly checked and fit for flight will be allowed to fly, according to sources. At present, the Army has about 145 Dhruv helicopters, the Air Force 70, the Navy 18 and the Coast Guard 20.
The clearance to restart the operations of the chopper would need to be given by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), the manufacturer of the chopper, sources had earlier said.
On May 4, a technician was killed and two pilots were injured after an Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv with three people on board crashed following a "hard landing" in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district. Following the accident, the army had grounded the entire fleet as per procedure.
