The Indian Army has validated the concept of “aviation brigades” in its latest battlefield exercise and now wants attack helicopters of its own to provide aerial support to its tanks and advancing troops in a battle scenario. The concept was validated in the recently-held Exercise Sudarshan Shakti in the Rajasthan desert, sources said.
As per the Army’s plans, each aviation brigade in future is to constitute three squadrons of helicopters. One squadron will comprise helicopters used for airlifting heavy equipment, the second will be used for recce purposes while the third squadron in the aviation brigade will perform the most crucial task of providing air support to the advancing battle tanks. Currently, the task of providing air-support to advancing troops in a battle-scenario is performed by attack helicopters of the Indian Air Force.
But the Army feels that it should have attack helicopters of its own to perform the task since the “aviation brigade is tailor-made” to move continuously with the Army formations on ground and maintain the “forward edge in the tactical battlefield area”. Currently, the Army does not have its own attack helicopters.
Attack helicopters that are being developed for the Army by the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) are currently undergoing trials.
“Unplanned fleeting opportunities present themselves at different points in time and space, which, if not capitalised upon, lead to a standard toe to toe slugging match. The presence of aviation brigade headquarters in the tactical battlefield area negates these misses,” said a source.
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MP cops arrest 1 with 5 pistols
AGE CORRESPONDENT
BHOPAL, Dec. 25
One person carrying five countrymade pistols was nabbed at the Sendhwa bus stand in Badwani district of Madhya Pradesh on Sunday morning.
The Sendhwa police informed this newspaper that the arrested person has given his identity as Vidyasagar Jatav, resident of Kurana village in Aligarh district of Uttar Pradesh. He was caught when he was seen moving in suspicious circumstances at the Sendhwa bus stand at around 8 am. The police recovered from his possession five countrymade pistols. It caught him after he could not give a satisfactory reply nor produce the licence for the weapons in his possession. The police has informed that the culprit seems to have acquired the countrymade pistols from the Sikligar tribe of iron-smiths engaged in making illegal weapons in a rural belt stretching across districts like Khargone, Dhar, Burhanpur, Badwani and Khandwa in western Madhya Pradesh. When contacted, a police source here said that they shall be on extra alert and will tighten their grip on those engaged in the illegal arms manufacturing activity.