While most of us equate the Indian Air Force (IAF) to fighter aircraft that are responsible for combat, however, the helicopters of IAF also form an integral part of the force’s air superiority. Hence, the interviewing officer or IO takes particular interest in knowing about a candidate’s knowledge about the same.
Therefore, to reduce the effort on your end, we tell you about some of the major helicopters of IAF that help its personnel touch the sky with glory.
Relevance of Helicopters of IAF
When the Indian Air Force is responsible for aerial superiority, you might wonder how the helicopters come into the picture. To be sure, the IAF also looks into a range of other duties such as battlefield support, troop transportation, evacuation, search and rescue, and disaster relief among others. Hence, these helicopters occupy a special position for the following reasons:
- Ensuring attack capabilities where fighter jets are not suited
- Encouraging deployment of troops
- Reaching high altitudes
- Supporting disaster relief missions
- Raising awareness through display teams
Hence, you must pay special attention to the different kinds of helicopters of IAF during your preparation phase.
Helicopters of IAF
Over the many years, the IAF has developed a diverse fleet of helicopters which includes attack, utility, medium-lift and light helicopters. The list includes helicopters of foreign as well as Indian origin. Let us learn about them now.
HAL Dhruv
The first in the list of helicopters of IAF is the Advanced Light Helicopter Dhruv, which has been developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited or HAL. It is a twin-engine helicopter that has a range of capabilities such as night flying, utility, transport, and rescue.
HAL Dhruv was first used by the Indian Coast Guard, and has a capacity of carrying 12 to 14 people at a time. Its speed of about 250 kmph makes it the first choice for many missions.
Apache AH-64E Guardian
The next in the list of helicopters of IAF is the Apache AH-64E Guardian. This is an attack helicopter developed by Boeing and two troops can easily operate it.
It can carry a 30mm automatic cannon, AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and Hydra rockets for combat. The helicopter operates on the fire and forget capability and is also equipped with night vision with a maximum speed of 293 kmph. This is why the Apache is the world‘s most advanced attack helicopter.
CH-47F (I) Chinook
The CH-47F (I) Chinook has also been developed by Boeing and is a heavy-lift transport helicopter that can carry about 55 troops at a time.
It has a maximum speed of 300 kmph and can lift up to 12 tonnes of weight. Moreover, this is the only one of the helicopters of IAF with a unique tandem rotor design, that is, it has two rotors, which eliminate the need for a tail rotor and allows it to operate at high altitudes.
HAL Prachand
Next is HAL Prachand, which has been indigenously developed by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited as one of the helicopters of IAF. It is a Light Combat Helicopter which can operate at high altitudes while carrying two troops.
Being a combat helicopter, Prachand can also utilise weapons like the 20mm turret gun, ATGMs such as the Dhruvastra and air-to-air missiles. Hence, countries like Nigeria, Argentina, Philippines and Egypt are its potential buyers.
HAL Rudra And Others
Lastly, we have the HAL Rudra, which is one of the attack helicopters of IAF equipped with capabilities of carrying 10 to 12 troops along with two crew members. This is also an indigenously developed helicopter and adds to India’s aerial superiority.
Other than the ones mentioned above, the Indian Air Force also operates the Light Utility Helicopters like Chetak and Cheetah for high-altitude operations.
Final Thoughts
Today, the helicopters of IAF are constantly undergoing upgrades to meet the changing requirements of serial warfare. The government is also pushing for indigenization to realize the vision of “Aatmanirbharta“. Hence, you must know of these developments for a better understanding of the organization that you aspire to join.
Comment below and tell us which is India’s best attack helicopter?
