India has lost 30 military helos over last five years, Parrikar admits

[Maarkhoor]

Twenty-eight Indian military helicopters have crashed since 2010, Indian defence minister Manohar Parrikar told parliament on 1 December.

Additionally, two Russian-origin Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17 'Hip' helicopters also crashed - in 2012 and in 2014 - while on flood relief operations, but were not included in military air crash statistics because of their civilian deployment.

This takes the overall loss of helicopters from all three services over the past five years to 30.

"The main reasons for the crashes were technical defects and human error," Parrikar stated, but did not elaborate.

However, he declared that the military had taken "preventive measures like streamlining of accident reporting procedure, analytical studies, and quality audits of the helicopter fleet".
India has lost 30 military helos over last five years, Parrikar admits | IHS Jane's 360

 

[Maarkhoor]

30 military copter crashes since 2010 have killed 50
NEW DELHI: India's horrific crash rate of fighters may grab all the eyeballs, but ageing helicopter fleets are an equally big worry. As many as 30 military helicopters have crashed since 2010, claiming well over 50 lives. And these are just the Category-I crashes, with pilots continuing to grapple with technical problems in their old helicopters almost on a daily basis.

Ageing machines, inadequate pilot training, shoddy maintenance and spares support have all come together to lead to a high crash rate of fighters and helicopters over the years in India. Stating that the main reasons for the accidents were "technical defects" and "human errors" in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, defence minister minister Manohar Parrikar put the tally of helicopter crashes at 28 since 2010.

Two Russian-origin Mi-17 helicopters had also crashed during relief operations and aid to civil agencies in 2011-2012 and 2013-14, which are generally not included in the statistics maintained for aircraft accidents in the forces. IAF, in fact, has lost at least five of its heavy-duty Mi-17 choppers since 2011.
But it's the obsolete, single-engine Cheetah/Chetak helicopter fleets, which are even used to service forward areas like the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region, that have been popping up regularly on the radar crash screens for long.

In fact, a group of wives of Army officers in March had petitioned Parrikar to retire these "outdated and ageing" light-utility helicopters -- which do not have modern avionics since are based on 1960s technologies -- to avoid casualties. "There have been at least 40 Cheetah/Chetak crashes just in the Army in the last two decades," said an officer.

But the long-pending acquisition of 197 such light helicopters from abroad has been scrapped thrice over the last decade due to corruption allegations and technical deviations, the last time in August 2014 by the then newly-elected NDA government.

Then, in May this year, the defence acquisitions council gave initial approval for Russia to jointly produce 200 twin-engine Kamov-226T helicopters under the 'Make in India' policy. But India and Russia are yet to finalize the inter-governmental agreement, with discussions taking place between the two once again on Tuesday.

"At the earliest, the final commercial contract will be possible only by the next fiscal (2016-17). Actual deliveries, with the first 40 helicopters coming in a flyaway condition and the rest being manufactured in India, will begin at a much later stage," said a source.

The slow-decision making process of successive governments and general politico-bureaucratic apathy has also meant, for instance, that Indian warships are now virtually bereft of multi-role helicopters that can detect and destroy enemy submarines. The armed forces, incidentally, have a projected requirement of over 1,200 helicopters of different types over the next 10-15 years, as was earlier reported by TOI.
30 military copter crashes since 2010 have killed 50 - The Times of India

@Hyperion @Zarvan @Windjammer @Zibago

 

[Zarvan]

30 military copter crashes since 2010 have killed 50
NEW DELHI: India's horrific crash rate of fighters may grab all the eyeballs, but ageing helicopter fleets are an equally big worry. As many as 30 military helicopters have crashed since 2010, claiming well over 50 lives. And these are just the Category-I crashes, with pilots continuing to grapple with technical problems in their old helicopters almost on a daily basis.

Ageing machines, inadequate pilot training, shoddy maintenance and spares support have all come together to lead to a high crash rate of fighters and helicopters over the years in India. Stating that the main reasons for the accidents were "technical defects" and "human errors" in a written reply in Rajya Sabha, defence minister minister Manohar Parrikar put the tally of helicopter crashes at 28 since 2010.

Two Russian-origin Mi-17 helicopters had also crashed during relief operations and aid to civil agencies in 2011-2012 and 2013-14, which are generally not included in the statistics maintained for aircraft accidents in the forces. IAF, in fact, has lost at least five of its heavy-duty Mi-17 choppers since 2011.
But it's the obsolete, single-engine Cheetah/Chetak helicopter fleets, which are even used to service forward areas like the Siachen Glacier-Saltoro Ridge region, that have been popping up regularly on the radar crash screens for long.

In fact, a group of wives of Army officers in March had petitioned Parrikar to retire these "outdated and ageing" light-utility helicopters -- which do not have modern avionics since are based on 1960s technologies -- to avoid casualties. "There have been at least 40 Cheetah/Chetak crashes just in the Army in the last two decades," said an officer.

But the long-pending acquisition of 197 such light helicopters from abroad has been scrapped thrice over the last decade due to corruption allegations and technical deviations, the last time in August 2014 by the then newly-elected NDA government.

Then, in May this year, the defence acquisitions council gave initial approval for Russia to jointly produce 200 twin-engine Kamov-226T helicopters under the 'Make in India' policy. But India and Russia are yet to finalize the inter-governmental agreement, with discussions taking place between the two once again on Tuesday.

"At the earliest, the final commercial contract will be possible only by the next fiscal (2016-17). Actual deliveries, with the first 40 helicopters coming in a flyaway condition and the rest being manufactured in India, will begin at a much later stage," said a source.

The slow-decision making process of successive governments and general politico-bureaucratic apathy has also meant, for instance, that Indian warships are now virtually bereft of multi-role helicopters that can detect and destroy enemy submarines. The armed forces, incidentally, have a projected requirement of over 1,200 helicopters of different types over the next 10-15 years, as was earlier reported by TOI.
30 military copter crashes since 2010 have killed 50 - The Times of India

@Hyperion @Zarvan @Windjammer @Zibago

I already posted this news few days ago

 

[Death In Fire]

So 30 crashes from Jan 2010-Nov 2015 means about 5 crashes in a year.As this is combined data for all three services the number is not bad at all.

 

[Indian Patriot]

SIMPLY UNACCEPTABLE.

 

[Harisudan]

All three forces combined, so this figure may not be an alarming one.. But still working towards minimising accidents is a constant process and this has to continue until there is Zero accidents.. When I was in an AFS in south India , I had a chance to look at the AF Logistics maintaining portal, which was recently computerised and centralised linked to all the AFSs and Maintenance depots and Suppliers such as HAL branches.. Our Spares handling and Maintenance efficiency will improve quite a bit after this and rate in which Recce and combat sorties were conducted will also improve said an unnamed officer..

 

[Sipahi]

So 30 crashes from Jan 2010-Nov 2015 means about 5 crashes in a year.As this is combined data for all three services the number is not bad at all.

Why it is not bad at all ??

 

[sharma1111]

Why it is not bad at all ??

All of it are 20+ yr old equipment. India will be replacing them all with 500 helis from Dhruva, Light combat and Kamov

 

[war&peace]

Indians are amazing people really....just hand them over the most advanced computer controlled fully autonomous helicopters and aircrafts and they will somehow manage to crash them in clear weather and empty skies.

 

[Agent_47]

It is a moderate number considering we operate around 750+ helos and around 60% of it are 20+ years old.

@Zarvan You copy cat !

 

[Sam.]

Indians are amazing people really....just hand them over the most advanced computer controlled fully autonomous helicopters and aircrafts and they will somehow manage to crash them.

Yet you lose to them in every war , what you guys called then ?

 

[war&peace]

It is a moderate number considering we operate around 750+ helos and around 60% of it are 20+ years old.

@Zarvan You copy cat !

All righty then keep on losing them

 

[Death In Fire]

Why it is not bad at all ??

Because if you calculate the attrition as per 10000 AFH or as % of fleet it is quite low.

 

[INDIAISM]

It is a moderate number considering we operate around 750+ helos and around 60% of it are 20+ years old.

@Zarvan You copy cat !

That's what I was thinking I mean how can author and T.M forgot to mention that according to their figures our crash rate is around .67%...which is acceptable with the number of old chopper in our forces....

 

[Harisudan]

Guys chill... Crashes are prone to happen, when you operate platforms as old as 40 + years.. The Cheetahs and Chetaks have been the work horses of Indian Airforce, Navy and Army for more than 4 decades.. If you compare the number of service hours these platforms have given, they are next to impossible.. Now some of them are extremely old and still servicing.. Hence these sudden crashes could be due to structural damages.. So it is high time that these choppers are to be grounded and an extensive over hauling (If economically viable) exercise needs to be carried out.. These are credited to be some of the extremely rugged, Maintenance free Choppers, that IAF had operated so far and hence deserve due credits..