India Grounds Military Chopper Fleet for Checks After Accident
- Manufacturer says working to get fleet operational quickly
- Indian military using back-up aircraft for daily operations
Indian Air Force (IAF) advanced light helicopters perform during an airshow.
Photographer: Sam Panthaky/AFP/Getty Images
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The majority of India’s homemade military helicopter fleet has been grounded for safety checks after a chopper crashed last week, a development that could hurt the South Asian nation’s aspirations to export defense equipment.
The over 250-strong fleet of twin-engine Advanced Light Helicopters manufactured by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited — used extensively by all three services — stopped flying soon after March 8, when a naval chopper crashed into the Arabian Sea off the coast of Mumbai.