Uttar Pradesh: IAF Cheetah helicopter makes precautionary landing near Karchhana

On August 3, a Cheetah helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was forced to make an emergency landing in the south of Uttar Pradesh. While flying over a village in the Karchhana area in UP, the helicopter had to make a precautionary landing as the warning light started blinking.

After a check-up by a technician flying in the chopper, it took off again safely and landed at the Air Force base in Prayagraj, officials said. The officials also added that the IAF chopper made the landing at around 10 am on Wednesday morning.

This is not the only such case of an emergency landing or a technical glitch with military helicopters. Earlier in March, a Cheetah helicopter crashed in the Baraum area of the Gurez sector of Jammu and Kashmir, killing one out of the two pilots on board.

Notably, the Cheetah helicopter, produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), is a high-performance helicopter built to operate in a variety of weight, centre of gravity, and altitude situations. The five-seater Cheetah helicopter is tough, adaptable, and capable of serving a variety of purposes. It holds the title of highest altitude flying helicopter in the world across all helicopter classifications.

IAF identifies 28 emergency landing strips on highways in 11 states

Considering the recent surge in cases of both military and commercial aircraft making emergency landings for a wide range of issues, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has identified 28 emergency landing facilities (ELFs) on highways across 11 states, where apart from Military aircraft, civilian aircraft can also be landed on these strips.

Earlier on March 30, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, had given a detailed state-wise break-up of these landing strips in Rajya Sabha.

''There are five emergency landing facilities (ELF)  in Assam, four in West Bengal, three each in Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, two each in Bihar, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu and one each in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Apart from Military Aircraft, Civilian aircraft can also be landed on these strips. In September 2021, the emergency landing strip at the Satta-Gandhav sector on NH 925, in the Barmer district of Rajasthan was inaugurated by Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari, " the Ministry had said in a statement.

(With inputs from ANI)