Aatmanirbhar Bharat: Advanced Light Helicopters Inducted to Coast Guard

The Defence Ministry on Saturday inducted the Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Mk-III in the Indian Coast Guard (ICG). The induction was in line with ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The state-of-the-art helicopters are indigenously designed and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Bangalore.
In his address, Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar praised the perseverance of the ICG and HAL by inducting these helicopters in testing times and progressing PM Narendra Modi’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. The ceremony was carried out in Bengaluru through digital means from New Delhi, keeping Covid 19 protocol at the fore and promoting the ‘Digital India’ vision of the Government.

The ALH Mk-III marine version has been designed and developed with the in-house customization of 19 additional pieces of equipment by HAL to meet ICG requirements.
HAL will supply 16 ALH Mk-III to the ICG by mid-next year. The Advanced Light Helicopters are capable of undertaking embarked operations from ships.
This 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 Bhubaneswar, 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.

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