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Big news of an Indian Army helicopter accident has come to light from Tangtse (south-east of Leh), a high and inaccessible hilly area of Ladakh. An army ‘Cheetah’ helicopter has crashed here. In this horrific accident, three senior officers, including Major General, General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 3rd Division of the Indian Army (also known as ‘Trishul Division’), miraculously survived. Although this accident happened on Wednesday, but due to security reasons and strategic reasons, its information became public on Saturday. The biggest thing of relief is that the three officers aboard the helicopter have suffered only minor injuries and are completely safe.
‘Court of Inquiry’ ordered to investigate the accident
According to a Times of India report, a senior Army officer has confirmed that this single-engine Cheetah helicopter was being flown by a Lieutenant Colonel and a Major rank officer. Major General Sachin Mehta, General Officer Commanding of the Third Infantry Division, was a passenger in the helicopter. The Indian Army has ordered a ‘Court of Inquiry’ (CoI) to find out exactly what technical reasons or weather caused this crash.
Unique selfie of brave men from crash site went viral on social media
A picture taken immediately after this dangerous accident is going viral on social media, which has caught everyone’s attention. In this viral selfie, Major General Sachin Mehta is seen with two other pilot officers. The seriousness of the accident can be gauged from the fact that the chopper is seen badly damaged (crashed) in the background, while these three officers are sitting on the nearby rocks in a very calm and courageous manner. This picture is being seen on social media as a symbol of the courage of the Indian Army.
Cheetah and Chetak fleet is old, danger is looming
This accident in Ladakh once again highlights the risks associated with the aging fleet of Cheetah and Chetak helicopters that have been in the Indian Army’s Aviation Corps for a long time. Due to the age and old technology of these helicopters, the Army is now working on a big plan to remove them from its fleet in a phase-wise manner. These old choppers will be replaced by modern ‘Light Utility Helicopters’ (LUH) manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) as part of the Army’s modernization drive within the next decade.
‘Cheetah’ has been the backbone of the army on the inaccessible Himalayan peaks since 1971.
After making an unmatched record of flying at high altitude, the Cheetah helicopter was made a part of the Indian Army in the year 1971. For the last five decades, it has been the backbone of military operations on the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. In very narrow areas, this helicopter has been playing very sensitive roles like flying jeep, postal van, artillery spotter, reconnaissance missions and air ambulance.
Flying at altitudes of more than 18,000 feet, such as in Ladakh and Siachen Glacier, is out of the original design limit of this Cheetah helicopter. Due to extremely low air pressure at such altitudes, the lift of the rotor and the power of the engine are significantly reduced. Despite this, this helicopter is still the only lifeline for delivering ration and supplies to remote Indian posts like Bana Top, Ashok and Sonam located at high altitudes ranging from 19,600 to 21,000 feet.
Now HAL’s indigenous and powerful LUH will replace Cheetah.
To deal with these high altitude and challenging conditions of the Himalayas, HAL’s LUH program was approved in the year 2009. This indigenous helicopter is equipped with state-of-the-art ‘Shakti-1U’ turboshaft engine. This new helicopter can easily reach a height of 21,300 feet and is capable of landing safely on the world’s highest helipad located at Saltoro Ridge.
Speed, capacity and advanced features of modern LUH
The maximum speed of this new army charioteer is 235 kilometers per hour. This modern helicopter of 3-tonne class is capable of carrying 6 fully equipped soldiers along with 2 crew members. Its cockpit has been made a completely digital glass cockpit, which is compatible with night-vision devices. This new chopper has been designed to perform every role from medical evacuation (evacuation of injured), quick transportation of troops, intelligence reconnaissance missions to VIP movement.
