Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Mk-III on Saturday was inducted in Indian Coast Guard (ICG). Defence Secretary Dr Ajay Kumar, in line with Atmanirbhar Bharat vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, inducted the locally manufactured choppers.

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As per the information provided by the Ministry of Defence, the state-of-the-art helicopters are indigenously designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bengaluru.

 

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"The ALH Mk-III marine version has been designed and developed with in-house customisation of 19 additional equipment by HAL to meet ICG requirements. The HAL will supply 16 ALH Mk-III to the ICG by mid next year," as per the statement by the Ministry of Defence.

The helicopters are capable of undertaking embarked operations from ships which will enhance Coast Guard capabilities towards sea-air coordinated search, interdiction capabilities, coastal security, search and rescue operations, medical evacuation, humanitarian missions, pollution response missions, etc.

 

On induction, the 16 ALH Mk-III will be positioned at four Coast Guard squadrons at Bhubaneshwar, Porbandar, Kochi and Chennai.

"The shared maritime boundaries with littoral states are highly susceptible to illegal activities and the regions are prone to frequent cyclones. These squadrons with embarked operations will ensure seamless surveillance and provide assistance to fishermen in distress at sea, the statement added.

Dr Ajay Kumar praised the perseverance of the ICG and HAL by inducting these helicopters in testing times and progressing the Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Make in India’. He also brought out the importance of having these advanced helicopters for ICG to operate them across the spectrum of Coast Guard operations.

Director General Coast Guard K Natarajan said that the ICG is as prepared as ever to discharge its duties and the induction of ALH Mk-III will usher a new paradigm shift in our capability to undertake ship-borne operations and enhance surveillance prowess with extended reach.

He added that these helicopters will be deployed in a coordinated matrix along with ships and aircraft to strengthen the service capabilities in the Area of Responsibility and beyond.