After Dhruv ALH, Prachand copters cleared for flying

NEW DELHI: The Prachand light combat helicopters have now also been cleared for flying after the Dhruv advanced light helicopters (ALHs) last month. Both the Dhruv and Prachand choppers were grounded after an ALH crash killed two Coast Guard pilots and an aircrew diver in Porbandar on Jan 5.The choppers - manufactured by defence PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) - were cleared for operations after "some components" were replaced based on the recommendations by a defect investigation committee, an officer said on Tuesday.The Army, which has a fleet of over 180 ALHs, including 60 weaponised versions called 'Rudra', was the most affected by the grounding. Indian Air Force, in turn, has 75 ALHs, while the Navy has 24 and the Coast Guard has 19. The number of Prachand helicopters, in turn, is just 10 in the IAF and five in the Army at present. In March, the defence ministry had inked a mega Rs 62,700 crore contract for 156 such choppers from HAL. The Army will get 90 of them, the IAF 66.