E-Paper
Army's Cheetah helicopter crashes near Leh; Major general among 3 injured
Officials said all three occupants walked away with minor injuries, calling the incident no less than a miracle.
Three army officers had a narrow escape after their Cheetah helicopter crashed in the mountainous Tangste region near Leh, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday but was reported on Friday.
A lieutenant colonel and a major were piloting the single-engine chopper and their passenger was Major General Sachin Mehta, General Officer Commanding of 3 Infantry Division, HT has learnt.
It was a ‘miracle’
Officials said all three occupants walked away with minor injuries, calling the incident no less than a miracle and adding that a probe into what caused the crash was underway.
Cheetah and Chetak choppers
Officials, meanwhile, said the Indian Army will begin to phase out its ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters in a year or two, and replace them with new light utility helicopters over the next eight to 10 years.
The army’s planned two-pronged replacement approach involves inducting locally produced light utility choppers and leasing similar choppers as stopgaps to meet critical requirements. The army needs around 250 new helicopters.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) expects the army and Indian Air Force to place combined orders for at least 187 light helicopters. The army has already ordered six limited series production LUHs, with a top speed of 220 kmph, a service ceiling of 6.5 km, and an operational range of 350 km.
