Defence Ministry Signs ₹8,073 Crore Deal for 34 Indigenous Helicopters with HAL

14 Mar 2024 , 02:36 PM

The Union Ministry of Defence signed a contract valued at ₹8,073 Crore with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Wednesday.

The contract is for the acquisition of 34 indigenous advanced light helicopters (ALH) for the Indian Army and the Coast Guard. Out of these helicopters, the Indian Army will receive 25, while the Coast Guard will receive the remaining nine.

The ALH Dhruv Mk III UT, designated for the Indian Army, is versatile and designed for various roles including search & rescue, troop transportation, and casualty evacuation in high-altitude regions like Siachen Glacier and Ladakh.

The contract, approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), was signed under the Buy (Indian-IDDM) category. These procurement projects were cleared by the CCS the previous week.

The ALH Mk III MR, designed for the Coast Guard, serves maritime surveillance, interdiction, search and rescue, cargo transportation, pollution response, and medical evacuation missions.

The project is expected to generate employment opportunities equivalent to 190 lakh man-hours and involve over 200 MSMEs and 70 local vendors in the indigenization process.

This procurement under the Indian-IDDM category is a significant step towards indigenization in defence manufacturing, as per the defence ministry.

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