Three army officers had a narrow escape after their Cheetah helicopter crashed in the mountainous Tangste district near Leh, informed officials said on Friday.
The incident occurred on Wednesday but was reported on Friday.
HT learned that a lieutenant colonel and a major were piloting the single-engine helicopter and their passenger was Major General Sachin Mehta, General Officer Commanding, 3rd Infantry Division.
Officials said that all three passengers in the helicopter escaped with minor injuries, and described the accident as nothing less than a miracle, adding that an investigation into the cause of the accident was underway.
Meanwhile, officials said the Indian Army will begin phasing out its aging fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters within a year or two, replacing them with new light helicopters over the next eight to 10 years, as part of the Army Air Corps’ drive to modernize its capabilities.
The planned two-pronged replacement approach in the Army includes the introduction of indigenously produced light helicopters and the leasing of similar helicopters as an interim solution to meet critical requirements. The army needs about 250 new helicopters.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which produced 625 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters for use in various defense services, no longer manufactures these helicopters but is responsible for their maintenance and repair.
In 1970, HAL signed an agreement with French airline Aerospatiale to produce Cheetahs, eight years after it contracted another French company, Sud-Aviation (now Airbus), to manufacture Cheetahs.
HAL expects the Army and Indian Air Force to place joint orders for at least 187 light helicopters. The Army has already ordered six limited-production LUH aircraft, with a maximum speed of 220 km/h, a service ceiling of 6.5 km, and an operational range of 350 km.
Currently, Cheetah and Cheetak helicopters remain a critical lifeline for troops at high altitudes, including the Siachen Glacier. A series of accidents led to recent scrutiny of the helicopters’ safety record. More than 15 Panthers and Cheetahs have crashed in the past 10 to 12 years, killing several pilots.
Officials said the current fleet is airworthy and has only a few years of technical life remaining.
