NEW DELHI : To boost its surveillance and search and rescue capabilities, the Indian Coast Guard has proposed to induct 38 more aircraft and helicopters into its fleet by 2020.
The expansion plan will see the maritime security force acquire Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH), Twin-engine Helicopters and Maritime Multi-mission Surveillance Aircraft (MMSA). The CG at present has a fleet of 62 airplanes and helicopters.
In the next three-four months, it is going to sign a contract with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for procuring 16 ALHs, official sources said.
It is also exploring options to buy 14 twin-engine heavy helicopters. The Coast Guard is eyeing Airbus’s Eurocopeter but it may take a couple of years to actually acquire these as a proposal in this regard is pending with the Ministry of Defence.
“We have been looking to procure twin-engine helicopters that can help in making long trips in the sea. The current Chetak helicopters do not have the ability to go deep over the sea. The twin-engine helicopters can make longer trips.
“They can be used in areas where we don’t have air strips, for instance, in Minicoy and many such places,” said a senior government official.
Air assets have often played a crucial role in the Indian Coast Guard’s operations. When the suspicious Pakistani boat carrying explosives blew itself up on the night of December 31, 2014, off the Gujarat coast, the operation was conducted jointly by the air and sea wings of the maritime security force. (AGENCIES)
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