"We are sending a proposal to the Defence Ministry for capability enhancement in our aviation wing for absorbing the attack helicopters in our fleet," Army Chief Gen Bikram Singh told PTI here.
He said the officials concerned have also been told to develop philosophies for using the attack choppers in different roles in the different parts of the country.
The Army Chief did not give details but sources said the proposal would include transfer of attack helicopters from the Air Force as also the soon-to-be-procured US-made Apache choppers.
Asked about the timelines, the sources said the Army would like to have these at the earliest.
These are planned to be deployed by the Army along the borders with China and Pakistan as part of its efforts to strengthen defence preparedness.
The Army already has aviation wing but Defence Minister A K Antony recently approved a long-pending demand of the 1.3 million-strong force for attack helicopters, overruling stiff opposition by the Air Force.
The sanction made it clear that all "future" procurements of such helicopters would be for the Army.
The Army had been demanding attack helicopters saying these are mainly used for operations by it. The IAF had been strongly resisting it, with its Chief ACM N A K Browne saying the country cannot afford to have "small air forces". (MORE)
