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2 pilots lost their lives in the incident, and an investigation has been ordered.
Indian Army cheetah helicopter crashed during an operational sortie mission in Arunachal Pradesh, near Bomdilla. The incident occurred in the West Kameng district, and the chopper lost contact with its base at around 9:15 AM. Later, it was reported to have crashed near Mandala, leading to the unfortunate deaths of both the pilot and co-pilot, Lt Col VVB Reddy and Major Jayanth A.
The news of the incident has shocked the nation, and people are grieving yet another loss of our brave pilots who sacrifice their lives for the nation’s safety. The wreckage was recovered from Banglajaap Village in the Mandala region of Arunachal Pradesh, and a court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the incident.
According to reports, the weather conditions during the mission were adverse in Arunachal Pradesh, and the helicopter sortie was cut short, with the chopper being ordered to return to base. However, the exact cause of the crash is yet to be ascertained, and speculation regarding the incident has started garnering public attention.
The crashed chopper was spotted by the villagers around 12.30 pm while it was still burning. According to the superintendent of police, Rohit Rajbir Singh, the area in Arunachal where the chopper crashed has no mobile connectivity and the weather is also extremely foggy with visibility as low as five meters.
crashes in ArunachalÂ
The region of Arunachal in which the crash occurred is characterized by difficult mountainous terrain. The weather is often unpredictable there due to which the helicopter-flying operations are often called off at the last moment. One of the reasons behind it is poor visibility.
The Chetak and Cheetah helicopters which are in service with the forces are like a lifeline in the sea and extreme high-altitude areas. They play important roles in observation, surveillance, logistics support, and rescue operations, and are also used by the Indian Air Force to train pilots in its flying schools.
More than 275 Cheetahs and 350 Chetaks have been manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. But the single-engine helicopters outlived their lives around a decade ago and have been going through serviceability issues ever since.
Nearly 10 Chetak and Cheetah helicopters of the Army, Navy, and IAF have crashed between 2017 and 2022.
In March 2022, the government informed the Parliament that 42 Indian armed forces personnel have been killed in the last five years in 45 aircraft and helicopter crashes.
The aging fleet of Cheetah helicopters will be replaced by the indigenously developed Light Utility Helicopters (LUH). These new-generation helicopters will be included in the three-tonne category and will be loaded with advanced features.
The incident is a significant loss to the nation, and the Army has offered condolences to the families of the deceased.Â
However, the single-engine helicopters outlived their lives over a decade ago and have been facing serviceability issues ever since.
Problems include obsolete avionics and navigation systems, which increases chances of mishandling of controls in case of disorientation in turbulent weather, which often is unpredictable in the hills.
The Department of Defense and the Government of India has been coming up with new initiatives every now and then for the welfare of its citizens. There have been schemes running for the benefit of Veer naris but an important fact to note is that most concerns go unaddressed and unresolved, with the development of technology there has been a growing demand to solve the concerns and problems of the needy women who have martyred their spouse but is courageous enough to raise her family amidst the inherent struggle of survival.
