Page 2 - Helicopters

First batch of Indian military personnel manning helicopter leaves Maldives

The first batch of Indian military personnel stationed in the Maldives manning a helicopter gifted by India have departed from the island nation after handing over the operations of the chopper to an Indian civilian crew, the Maldivian media reported on Monday. A media official for the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) told the media here that approximately 25 Indian soldiers who were stationed in Addu city are now back in India after handing over the operations of a helicopter to an Indian civil crew. There was no immediate confirmation from India's defence ministry on the withdrawal of the first batch of Indian military personnel from the Maldives as reported by the media here. The MNDF official confirmed that, as agreed, the Indian military troops left the country ahead of March 10. The helicopters will, from now on, be operated by civilian experts from India who have been transferred to the Maldives for the purpose, the Editon.mv news portal reported. The official further

Demand for private jets, helicopters likely to rise 40% during LS polls

As political parties prepare to fight it out in the Lok Sabha polls, the demand for chartered planes and helicopters is expected to jump by up to 40 per cent compared to the previous general elections, according to industry experts. Helicopters are anticipated to be more in demand compared to fixed-wing aircraft as choppers will help in providing accessibility to rural and remote areas in a shorter time. "There will be an exponential demand for private jets and the demand is expected to outstrip the availability of chartered planes and helicopters. There is a limited supply of chartered planes and helicopters," Club One Air CEO Rajan Mehra told PTI. With increased demand, some players will be taking chartered planes and helicopters on lease during the general elections for which the dates are expected to be announced in the coming days. Chartered plane and helicopter services are charged on an hourly basis. The industry experts opined that the prices can vary between Rs 4.5 lakh t

Indian Navy to commission newly-inducted MH 60R Seahawk helicopter on Wed

The Indian Navy will commission on Wednesday in Kochi its newly-inducted MH 60R Seahawk multi-role choppers that it said would mark a "pivotal moment" in India's defence modernisation journey. The commissioning of the helicopters in the INAS 334 squadron is expected to significantly enhance the Navy's operational capability in the Indian Ocean region which has been witnessing increasing Chinese military forays. The US-manufactured MH 60R Seahawk is a maritime variant of the Blackhawk helicopter. The helicopter is designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface warfare, search and rescue and medical evacuation among other operations. "The advanced weapons, sensors and avionics suite make the Seahawks ideal for the Indian Navy's maritime security needs, offering enhanced capabilities for both conventional as well as asymmetric threats," the Navy said on Sunday. The Seahawks squadron will be commissioned in the Indian Navy as INAS 334. India signed an agreement with the US for ...

First helicopter emergency medical service to be launched from U'khand

India's first Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) will be started from Uttarakhand, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday said. "I want to inform the people of Uttarakhand that the country's first HEMS service will be launched from the state," Scindia said in a video shared on X. A helicopter will be stationed under the service at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) from where it will be sent anywhere within a radius of 150 km to airlift anyone who has met with an accident to the medical facility. "Assembly and certification of the helicopter to be deployed for the purpose is underway. It is on my dashboard. It is entirely my concern now not yours," he said.

Sky's the limit: Maruti Suzuki ventures into electric air copters

Maruti Suzuki unveils plans for SkyDrive, electric air copters that bridge the gap between drones and helicopters and may offer ride-sharing services with easy rooftop take off

Tata group, Airbus team up to make helicopters; Thales' MRO on cards

India, France adopt joint defence production road map

Ram temple: UP govt to start helicopter services to Ayodhya. Check fares

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will inaugurate the helicopter service from Lucknow

India set to begin ambitious defence projects worth Rs 1.4 trillion

These three projects for the Indian Airforce include aircraft carrier, Tejas fighters, and Prachand helicopters

Hindustan Aeronautics incorporates JV With Safran for helicopter engines

HAL added that the first opportunities identified are the engines for the Indian Multi-Role Helicopter (IMRH) and Deck Based Multi-Role Helicopter (DBMRH)

Army Aviation looking at phasing out Cheetah, Chetak helicopters from 2027

The Army is looking at phasing out its ageing fleet of Cheetah and Chetak choppers starting 2027, and considering induction of the light utility helicopters as the replacement besides exploring the option of leasing, sources said. The Army Aviation Corps is currently operating around 190 Chetak, Cheetah and Cheetal helicopters, they said. While the Army will be getting around 100 light utility helicopters (LUH), it is also looking at the option of taking choppers on lease to meet its requirement. "We require around 250 light helicopters for the reconnaissance and surveillance activities. Out of these about 100 plus will be Light Utility Helicopters, and given the capacities that HAL has today, we have to look at alternative means also to replace the entire fleet of Cheetah and Chetaks," a source said. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) produces the LUH. "We are looking at a couple of other options, like leasing options, where we lease a few helicopters for a few years, and subsequent

Election season dawns, demand for charter helicopters hits the sky

Helicopter rentals for election rallies soar 25 to 50 per cent

Assam spent Rs 108 cr as rent for choppers, aircraft in 5 yrs: Minister

The Assam government has spent more than Rs 108 crore as rent for helicopters and chartered aircraft in the last five financial years, minister Ranjeet Dass informed the state assembly on Tuesday. The highest amount of Rs 34,13,42,303 was paid in 2022-23, he said. Dass, the Minister of General Administration Department, was replying to a question by Congress MLA Sibamoni Bora on expenses incurred towards rent of helicopters and charted planes. The rented aircraft were used for participating in different government programmes in 2022-23, he said. The expenditure incurred in 2020-21 was Rs 25,05,70,036, and Rs 19,71,42,601 in 2021-22. The total amount spent in the last five years was Rs 1,08,10,06,471, Dass added.

Firefighting helicopter crashes in Southern California while fighting blaze

A firefighting helicopter crashed in Southern California on Sunday while fighting a blaze in Riverside County, emergency officials said. The helicopter was performing work under contract with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, fire captain and spokesman Richard Cordova said. Sheriff's deputies responded at 7:20 p.m. to an air emergency in the area of Pipeline Road and Apache trail as crews were battling the Broadway fire near Cabazon, according to a post by the Riverside County Sheriff's office on X, formerly known as Twitter. The department is still investigating the crash and whether other aircraft were involved, Cordova said. Details were not immediately available on the number of injuries or fatalities.

Army drones, helicopters on watch in Manipur, 23,000 people moved to camps

Army drones and helicopters kept a close watch on Manipur on Sunday as curfew was relaxed in some parts of the Northeastern state, which was rocked by ethnic violence over the last few days, officials said. So far, 23,000 people have been rescued from the violence-hit areas and were moved to military garrisons, they said. Personnel of the Army and Assam Rifles held flag marches as life started crawling back to somewhat normal, but the tension was palpable. Sources said around 10,000 security personnel have been deployed in the state, which has been on the boil since Wednesday. Governor Anusuiya Uikey chaired a meeting with Security Advisor Kuldip Singh and Operational Commander Ashutosh Sinha. At the meeting, the two officers shared their suggestions with the governor to resolve the crisis, said a statement issued by the Raj Bhavan. Uikey advised the officers that arrangements be made for the safe return of the people who are in relief camps at present, it said. The clashes broke

CIAL airport resumes operations after 2 hrs lag due to helicopter crash

One person was injured when a Coast Guard helicopter crashed on Sunday just after takeoff from its enclave at the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) here. Sources said the chopper, which was on a training flight, crashed as it began taking off from the helipad at 12.55 pm. As per preliminary reports, one person has a minor injury in his hand, sources told PTI. Meanwhile, CIAL said airport operations were suspended for two hours after the Advanced Light Helicopter of the Coast Guard met with the accident. "The ALH was removed from the operational area around 2 PM and the runway has been cleared substantially after safety inspections, and flight operations have been resumed," CIAL said in a statement. The Coast Guard Enclave is inside the CIAL complex. The reason for the accident is yet to be ascertained.

Airbus receives order for two advanced ACH160 helicopters in India

Airbus on Monday said it has received an order for two advanced ACH160 helicopters in India. "The helicopters will be delivered with the ACH160 exclusive configuration for business use by the customer who is an experienced helicopter operator. Under the terms of the contract, Airbus Corporate Helicopters will provide a turnkey solution to ensure smooth entry into service of both the helicopters," it said in a release. ACH160 is the latest member of the ACH family and has 68 new Airbus patented technologies. It provides 20 per cent greater volume per passenger compared to previous generation medium twin helicopters and 35 per cent larger windows than its competitors. According to the release, ACH160's advanced air conditioning technology allows precise temperature control and optimal cabin air quality with highly efficient air exchange. In the ACH160 exclusive version, mood-lighting contributes to reduced fatigue, it added. "We are proud to announce this milestone contract for two .

Helicopter carrying Karnataka CM faces difficulty in landing at helipad

Just ahead of landing, the pilot noticed plastic around the landing zone and the chopper kept hovering around the area as authorities cleaned the zone

MP govt paid Rs 37 cr to private firms in 3 years for hiring their planes

The Madhya Pradesh government has paid around Rs 37 crore to private aviation companies for hiring their aircraft and helicopters during the past three years, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday. The information was given in a written reply in response to a question asked by Congress legislator Mewaram Jatav. Jatav had sought to know the number of air journeys undertaken by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, other state ministers and officials and the money paid to private aviation companies for hiring their planes and helicopters for such travels since April 1, 2020. In the written reply, Chouhan said private planes or helicopters are hired when government-owned aircraft are not available to ferry ministers or senior officials. During the given period, government planes and helicopters were used 94 and 982 times, respectively. In the case of private aircraft and helicopters, they were deployed 222 and 97 times, respectively, in the last three years, it said. For ...

Hindustan Aeronautics' Dhruv choppers to get monitors to dodge obstacles

The agreement, announced at the Aero India 2023, includes transfer of intellectual property (IP) for the design and manufacture of the OAS for Indian helicopters and potential future exports

HAL inks pact with RPM on cooperation in chopper emergency medical services

The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Response Plus Holding PJSC (RPM) will explore new opportunities for cooperation in the areas of emergency medical services, medical evacuation, helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) and other mutually-beneficial fields in India, and the Gulf and the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) regions. An MoU to this effect was inked on the sidelines of the ongoing Aero India 2023, Asia's largest air show here, an HAL statement said. RPM is a leading healthcare provider of emergency medical services, remote healthcare services and occupational health solutions in the United Arab Emirates. RPM CEO Major Tom Louis said: "This Memorandum of Understanding would mutually help us to explore opportunities nationally as well as internationally to provide the much-needed HEMS and fixed wing emergency medical services.