ALH will remain military's workhorse, says Army chief

Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi on Wednesday threw his weight behind the locally produced Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH) in the wake of the armed forces grounding the choppers for a thorough safety inspection following a recent crash that put the spotlight on the fleet's troubling safety record.

- Rahul Singh

"Let me assure the countrymen and my own Indian Army that the ALH has not hit a rough patch. These small accidents keep taking place. All over the world, even the best helicopters meet with such accidents," he said on the sidelines of the 77th Army Day parade held in Pune.

He was responding to a question on safety concerns surrounding the helicopter.

The army chief's comments came on a day HT reported that it was uncertain if the Dhruv ALH and its armed version Rudra will take part in the upcoming Republic Day flypast after a coast guard helicopter crashed at Porbandar in Gujarat on January 5, with authorities still struggling to determine the cause of the accident.

Two coast guard pilots and an aircrew diver were killed in the latest crash.

The ALH has been designed and developed by Bengaluru-based plane maker Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and often touted as a prime example of indigenisation in the defence sector.