Indian Army to set up aviation brigades along Pakistan and Chinese borders

The Indian Army has decided to have two aviation brigades which will comprise of helicopters on the Pakistani and Chinese borders. According to top defence sources, this will be a massive boost for the Indian armed force and will help working in a better and more cogent manner. This comes as the Indian Army’s Aviation Corps are about to go through a major change, with the Cheetah and Chetak helicopters being retired after a long and distinguished stint in the Indian Army. “At present, we have three aviation brigades-two on the northern border and one on the eastern border. We are planning to have more brigades and it is in process,” an officer said.

The Indian Army is looking to replace the Cheetahs and Chetaks with the highly indigenous ‘Light Utility Helicopters’ (LUH) which will also have the facility of autopilot that the Indian armed force has missed especially while flying in high altitude areas. “Flight safety is and will be the biggest concern for Aviation Operations as this profession remains vulnerable to the vagaries of weather and human error,” the officer said.

In the meantime, trials of the Light Utility Helicopters with the autopilot are underway and the design issues of the indigenous Advanced Light Helicopters are also solved, which is another reassuring aspect. Apart from the LUH, the armed force may also lease a number of helicopters to make up for the Chetak and Cheetah helicopters for a while.

The Indian Army currently has the Light Combat Helicopter and will be getting the America-made Apache helicopters by March next year. The Indian armed force is also looking at the combat helicopters being used in the recent war between Russia and Ukraine and the long-standing but recently inflamed conflict between Israel and Palestine. The armed force will then make modifications to their current helicopters which they think will be useful in combat. The Indian Army is also getting Heron II and Hermes Starliner drones which will provide better and improved reconnaissance abilities. It is also being said that the Indian Army is looking to hire additional women pilots and join the Aviation Corps.

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