Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh leads discussions on Army Aviation flight safety

New Delhi, Nov 27 Highlighting the importance of risk mitigation in Army Aviation operations, military experts led by Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh discussed measures to enhance safety at a conference here, an official said on Thursday.

The Army Aviation Annual Flight Safety Conference 2025 was joined by representatives of the three Services, the DRDO’s Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC) and representatives of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).

The conference underscored the need for collective commitment towards enhancing aviation safety and operational standards and risk mitigation in Army Aviation operations.

The discussions in aviation safety typically cover topics such as integrating unmanned systems and AI in defence aviation and address cross-domain issues.

An Indian Army official said on X, “The Army Aviation Annual Flight Safety Conference 2025 was chaired by Lieutenant General Pushpendra Singh, #VCOAS, at the Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. The conference witnessed participation from representatives of the three Services, the Centre for Military Airworthiness & Certification (CEMILAC) and representatives of Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM)…”

Earlier, the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv fleet was temporarily grounded following a fatal crash in January 2025. The grounding was lifted for the Army and Air Force versions after a safety investigation.

The decision to resume the Dhruv fleet operation by the Indian Army and IAF was taken based on recommendations made by the Defect Investigation Committee that reviewed the crash.

In that incident, an Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) crashed in Gujarat's Porbandar, killing all three crew members on board, a top police official confirmed.

The crash occurred during a routine sortie at the Air Enclave of the Indian Coast Guard. The helicopter, identified as an ALH Dhruv, plummeted into an open field before catching fire.

Soon after the fatal mishap, the entire fleet of over 330 Dhruv helicopters, manufactured by HAL, was grounded by the Army, IAF and Navy.

The indigenously designed ALH Dhruv is a twin-engine and multi-role new generation helicopter in the 5.5-tonne weight class.

Last year, the Defence Ministry signed two contracts, for a combined value of Rs 8,073.17 crore, with the Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) for acquisition of 34 Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) Dhruv Mk III, along with the operational role equipment, for the army (25) and the Coast Guard (9) under Buy (Indian-IDDM - Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category.

The ALH Dhruv Mk III UT's (Utility) army version is designed for search and rescue, troop transportation, internal cargo, recce/casualty evacuation, etc. It has proved its performance in high-altitude regions like the Siachen Glacier and Ladakh.

--IANS

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