Indian Coast Guard commissions made-in-India ALH Dhruv Mark III helicopter at Gujarat

|HT|

The Indian Coast Guard on Tuesday said it had commissioned a squadron (its third) of made-in-India Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv Mark III at Porbandar in Gujarat. The helicopters were commissioned by ICG director-general VS Pathania. Coast Guard officials said the choppers could fulfill both reconnaissance and offensive roles as they have 12.7 mm heavy machine guns that can hit targets at a range of 1,800 metres. The induction boosts the Coast Guard's maritime surveillance and recon capabilities and the country's 'aatmanirbhar defence' philosophy as the ALH Dhruv Mark III is fully made-in-India by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

In May the Coast Guard commissioned its second ALH Dhruv Mark III squadron - in Kerala. Four of these helicopters have been stationed in Kochi in the southern state, adding the coasts of Karnataka and Kerala , and the Lakshadweep islands, would now be covered.

According to a note on HAL's website, the ALH Dhruv is an 'indigenously designed and developed... twin engine, multi-role, multi-mission new generation helicopter'.

The Mark III designed for 'utility roles in defence services suited for high-altitude operations' comes with an electronic warfare suite and counter-measure system, among other features.

The 'armed variant for attack, close-air support and high altitude operations' comes with weapon systems and mission sensors that include a turret gun, air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, a helmet-pointing system, an infra-red jammer, a data link and an obstacle avoidance system. The helicopters also have powerful Shakti engines, a full-glass cockpit and high-intensity searchlights to aid in search-and-rescue ops at sea, as well as a removable medical intensive care unit (MICU) to facilitate critically ill patients for medical evacuation, or med-evac.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh this week underlined the success of the armed forces' 'aatmanirbhar' push last week when he tweeted: "68% of procurement will be from purchase of products made in India. In this also, we have arranged to buy 25% only from private companies..."

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