Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Kathmandu on Tuesday, handed over a Dhruv Mark-III Advanced Light Helicopter to the Nepal Army.
The multi-purpose all-weather copter is said to be a gift for the northern neighbour. Dhruv, designed and built by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. and customised for Nepal conditions, was formally accepted by Nepal Prime Minister Sushil Koirala.
T. Suvarna Raju, managing director of the Helicopter Complex, was at the event with an HAL team.
Once New Delhi made its decision on the gift ahead of the 18th SAARC summit that Kathmandu is hosting, it is learnt that HAL readied the copter at its Bengaluru unit in 14 days. The copter reached Kathmandu on November 22.
Fitted with Shakti engines, a modern glass cockpit and avionics, the 5.5-tonne helicopter will benefit Nepal with its mountainous terrain and harsh environmental conditions. A technical team is positioned in Kathmandu to help with maintenance and logistics support.
“This is in line with the Prime Minister’s thrust on ‘make in India’ and the government’s neighbourhood policy,” HAL Chairman R.K. Tyagi was quoted as saying.
Since 2002, over 140 Dhruvs are being used by the three Forces, Coast Guard, the Border Security Force and a few State governments. In 2013, Dhruv became the hero of the large-scale rescue operations led by the Armed Forces during the Uttarakhand floods.
