PM Modi approves Rs 8,000 crore plan for 32 home-made choppers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared a proposal worth around `8,000 crore for acquiring 32 made in India ALH Dhruv helicopters to be built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
- Mar 28, 2017,
- Updated Mar 28, 2017 10:40 AM IST
Providing a major boost to the maritime securitycapabilities of the Navy and Coast Guard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hascleared a proposal worth around `8,000 crore for acquiring 32 made in India ALHDhruv helicopters to be built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
"In a meeting ofthe Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, theproposal to acquire these choppers meant for coastal and maritime securityworth around `8,000 crore was given clearance," Defence Ministry sourcestold MAILTODAY.
Of the 32 choppers tobe built by the HAL, 16 each would be shared by the two services. "Theproject will be under the make in India programme being spearheaded by thePrime Minister himself and state-owned HAL would not only provide thehelicopters but also develop the infrastructure for operations of thesehelicopters in both the services," the sources said.
Incidentally, theDefence Acquisition Council (DAC) clearance for the project had also come in2014 when Arun Jaitley was given the charge of Defence Ministry for the firsttime and the final approval has also come at a time when he is holding theoffice after Manohar Parrikar's departure to Goa.
At the moment, theIndian Navy has deployed its fleet of the ALH Dhruv helicopters in Kochi at itsbase INS Garuda but has now plans HAL to develop base for operations of 32copters of deploying the fresh fleet at different bases across the coast line.
The Coast Guard has these twin-engine helicopters at itsdifferent bases for carrying out search and rescue and coastal surveillancemissions. "The Navy is also planning to equip the choppers with some lowfrequency SONARs which would be developed by the force with the help of anadvanced DRDO laboratory," the sources said.
After the signing ofthe contract, the forces are scheduled to get their first machine in the year2020 and the last helicopter is scheduled to be provided to them by 2022, thesources said. The ALH is being employed for a variety of missions includingadvanced search and rescue, special heli-borne, armed patrol, VVIP ferrying andtransport operations by the Navy.
The 16 helicopters being provided to the Navy would help it inmeeting some of the operational gaps created due to the lack of new helicoptersas projects have either been retracted or are stuck at different levels.
The Navy requiresover 145 multirole helicopters (MRHs) with antisubmarine warfare capabilities,without which its warships are virtually defenceless against enemy submarines,and 110 twin-engine naval light utility helicopters (NUHs) to replace obsoletesingleengine Chetaks.
India is one of the largest importers of arms and militaryplatforms globally. The government has been focusing significantly on promotingdefence indigenisation by taking a slew of reform initiatives includingliberalising FDI in defence sector.
In assosiation with Mail Today Bureau
Providing a major boost to the maritime securitycapabilities of the Navy and Coast Guard, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hascleared a proposal worth around `8,000 crore for acquiring 32 made in India ALHDhruv helicopters to be built by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
"In a meeting ofthe Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, theproposal to acquire these choppers meant for coastal and maritime securityworth around `8,000 crore was given clearance," Defence Ministry sourcestold MAILTODAY.
Of the 32 choppers tobe built by the HAL, 16 each would be shared by the two services. "Theproject will be under the make in India programme being spearheaded by thePrime Minister himself and state-owned HAL would not only provide thehelicopters but also develop the infrastructure for operations of thesehelicopters in both the services," the sources said.
Incidentally, theDefence Acquisition Council (DAC) clearance for the project had also come in2014 when Arun Jaitley was given the charge of Defence Ministry for the firsttime and the final approval has also come at a time when he is holding theoffice after Manohar Parrikar's departure to Goa.
At the moment, theIndian Navy has deployed its fleet of the ALH Dhruv helicopters in Kochi at itsbase INS Garuda but has now plans HAL to develop base for operations of 32copters of deploying the fresh fleet at different bases across the coast line.
The Coast Guard has these twin-engine helicopters at itsdifferent bases for carrying out search and rescue and coastal surveillancemissions. "The Navy is also planning to equip the choppers with some lowfrequency SONARs which would be developed by the force with the help of anadvanced DRDO laboratory," the sources said.
After the signing ofthe contract, the forces are scheduled to get their first machine in the year2020 and the last helicopter is scheduled to be provided to them by 2022, thesources said. The ALH is being employed for a variety of missions includingadvanced search and rescue, special heli-borne, armed patrol, VVIP ferrying andtransport operations by the Navy.
The 16 helicopters being provided to the Navy would help it inmeeting some of the operational gaps created due to the lack of new helicoptersas projects have either been retracted or are stuck at different levels.
The Navy requiresover 145 multirole helicopters (MRHs) with antisubmarine warfare capabilities,without which its warships are virtually defenceless against enemy submarines,and 110 twin-engine naval light utility helicopters (NUHs) to replace obsoletesingleengine Chetaks.
India is one of the largest importers of arms and militaryplatforms globally. The government has been focusing significantly on promotingdefence indigenisation by taking a slew of reform initiatives includingliberalising FDI in defence sector.
In assosiation with Mail Today Bureau