Army’s ALH Dhruv Chopper Crashes In J&K; Pilot, Co-Pilot Safe

NEW DELHI: An ALH Dhruv chopper of the Indian Army with three people on board crashed near Kishtwar area of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday morning.

The crash of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) took place in the hill district of Kishtwar's Marwah area, the officials said.

According to Army officials, of the three people on board, the pilot and co-pilot were rescued in an injured condition but are safe and are undergoing treatment.

The information that there were three people on board was shared by officials earlier.

The crash occurred when the helicopter was making a forced landing due to a technical snag, an Army report suggested.

A statement from the Indian Army said, "At about 11:15 am, an Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission made a precautionary landing on the banks of Marua river in the Kishtwar region of J&K. As per inputs, the pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a precautionary landing. Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing."

The statement went on to say that, "Immediate rescue operations were launched and Army rescue teams reached the site. Two pilots and a technician were on board. All three injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered. Further details are being ascertained.”

The ALH Dhruv is a utility helicopter designed and developed by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in November 1984. The helicopter first flew in 1992; its development was prolonged due to multiple factors including the Indian Army's requirement for design changes, budget restrictions, and sanctions placed on India following the 1998 Pokhran-II nuclear tests. The name comes from a Sanskrit origin word dhruv which means unshakeable or firm.

Dhruv entered service in 2002. It is designed to meet the requirement of both military and civil operators, with military variants of the helicopter being developed for the Indian Armed Forces, while a variant for civilian/commercial use has also been developed. Military versions in production include transport, utility, reconnaissance and medical evacuation variants.

As of January 2022, 335 ALH Dhruv choppers have been produced for domestic and export markets logging more than 340,000 flying hours.

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