The helicopters, including those from the Indian Air Force, have now been forced to take additional safety measures and alter their flight plans after repeated attempts by Naxals to hit them, endangering the lives of airborne troops of forces like CRPF and BSF.
An increasing number of incidents where the Maoists used Light Machine Guns (LMGs) to target the IAF Mi-17 choppers and other chopper variants have alarmed security and snoop agencies, prompting them to issue precautionary advisories for the crew operating the helicopters.
Officials say the Border Security Force (which operates the air wing) and the IAF have been asked to undertake mandatory measures like altering their flight path during a two-way flight, avoiding flying close to a hilly terrain and preparing a contingency plan in case of any exigency.
"The Naxals have never attempted firing a rocket (at a chopper) but it is understood that they possess some crude and local variants of rocket launchers which can be used for any audacious strike on security forces," an official deployed in the anti-Naxal operations grid in Chhattisgarh said.
In March, when the CRPF was preparing to launch operations in the Naxal hotbed of Abujhmaad in Chhattisgarh, at least seven bullets hit the rotors of the IAF chopper. (More)