IAF choppers set to fly in Jharkhand's ‘Red zone'
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 01:25
VIJAY DEO JHA RANCHI
Wednesday, 05 October 2011 01:25
VIJAY DEO JHA RANCHI
The IAF will dispatch two of its Mi-17iv helicopters to the Jharkhand Government for logistic support in State-wide anti-Maoist operations being jointly conducted by police and the Central security forces.
“There is a request for deploying two more choppers in Ranchi. We will have a total of six helicopters in these operations,” head of Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne was quoted by news agencies.
The forces have two Dhruva helicopters donated by the BSF to back up their operations.
It is for the first time that the IAF will provide choppers to the State Government. “We had made a request for choppers. These will be made available to us following maintenance work. We have already pushed back the Maoists. The IAF choppers will give us a decisive edge,” State DGP GS Rath said.
The Centre has denied reports that the new choppers will be used exclusively to airlift and drop jawans from the operation area and will not be directly involved in the offensive. It is yet to be known whether or not these will be fitted with light machineguns since the IAF had asked the Centre to allow for retaliatory action in case its helicopters are attacked by the Maoists. “The Centre will take a call (on the matter),” said Rath.
The decision to provide more choppers to Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and other States in the Maoist corridor was taken last year by the Central Government during a crucial meeting with top officials. The Centre had promised to provide as many as 23 choppers to these States.
Giving priority to Jharkhand over other States such as Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal that demanded a unified command to coordinate such operations, the Centre chose it for the unified command last year.
Aware of the shortage of the IAF choppers since a good number of these were deployed in the UNO mission in Congo, the Centre also mulled the proposal to hire them from private players and initially made a provision for 13 choppers to ferry troops and supplies to Maoist zones under operation, reducing the figure to six later on.
The twin-engine bullet-proof Mi-17iv choppers can carry up to 25 persons including the crew. It can fly and make sorties in the dark, giving the forces an edge in evacuation and rescue
“There is a request for deploying two more choppers in Ranchi. We will have a total of six helicopters in these operations,” head of Indian Air Force Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne was quoted by news agencies.
The forces have two Dhruva helicopters donated by the BSF to back up their operations.
It is for the first time that the IAF will provide choppers to the State Government. “We had made a request for choppers. These will be made available to us following maintenance work. We have already pushed back the Maoists. The IAF choppers will give us a decisive edge,” State DGP GS Rath said.
The Centre has denied reports that the new choppers will be used exclusively to airlift and drop jawans from the operation area and will not be directly involved in the offensive. It is yet to be known whether or not these will be fitted with light machineguns since the IAF had asked the Centre to allow for retaliatory action in case its helicopters are attacked by the Maoists. “The Centre will take a call (on the matter),” said Rath.
The decision to provide more choppers to Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and other States in the Maoist corridor was taken last year by the Central Government during a crucial meeting with top officials. The Centre had promised to provide as many as 23 choppers to these States.
Giving priority to Jharkhand over other States such as Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal that demanded a unified command to coordinate such operations, the Centre chose it for the unified command last year.
Aware of the shortage of the IAF choppers since a good number of these were deployed in the UNO mission in Congo, the Centre also mulled the proposal to hire them from private players and initially made a provision for 13 choppers to ferry troops and supplies to Maoist zones under operation, reducing the figure to six later on.
The twin-engine bullet-proof Mi-17iv choppers can carry up to 25 persons including the crew. It can fly and make sorties in the dark, giving the forces an edge in evacuation and rescue
