NEW DELHI:
According to the Economic Times, the Indian Navy has joined forces with the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force to establish India's most grandiose yet comprehensively significant home-made helicopter development strategy.
This significant build up will provide an impetus to the venture, which aims to save Rs 2 lakh crore on military platform imports in the coming years.
The Indian Army and Air Force have previously agreed to participate in the initiative. With the Indian Navy also agreed to participate in the program, India may eventually see the indigenous production of hundreds of domestic medium-lift choppers to perform a range of missions ranging from delivering soldiers to high altitude locations to anti-ship and submarine attacks.
The project, known as the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH), is reported to be on track. The scale model testing was completed efficiently, and the first test flight is scheduled for 2025-26. The following stage, when prototypes would be produced, will necessitate an estimated Rs 10,000 crore investment into the project.
The aforementioned helicopter is being custom-built for the military, and the naval edition of the chopper will most likely feature unique design components as well, such as a larger range and cargo capacity. The chopper will most likely fall into two main categories: anti-surface and submarine and mission. It would also include specialized maritime equipment, such as a sonar and a sea scanner radar.
If this new collaborative operation by the Indian Air Force and Indian Navy proves to be a success, it will be a boon to our nation's defenses, especially at a time when we confront threats to our sovereignty from our hostile neighbours - the expansionist totalitarian regime of China, and its military ally Pakistan.
In another related news, the Indian Army said it has been monitoring activities by the People's Liberation Army (PLA), including troop turnover in Ladakh's eastern areas. The Army made the remarks denouncing a media report alleging that the PLA had crossed the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh at many sites and that there had been at least one confrontation between the PLA and the Indian Army.
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