Rajouri: An Indian Army Cheetah  helicopter made an emergency landing in Devak village following a technical snag on Monday. As per reports, the Army helicopter landed in open fields, and two Army personnel were onboard the Cheetah.

According to previous reports, the old Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which have been serving the Indian armed forces for six decades, are nearing retirement. The process will begin in the next 3 years when they reach the end of their technical life. It will take about 10-12 years to replace the entire fleet with new helicopters called the Light Utility Helicopter, as per media claims.

The demand to retire the old helicopters has grown due to accidents, some of which have been fatal. Currently, the Indian Army Aviation Corps operates around 190 out of 246 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, with about 30 already undergoing maintenance last year. The Army and the Air Force need over 450 light utility helicopters, with the Army requiring around 250 of them. The new LUH, as per HAL officials, is expected to perform 25-30 percent better than the old helicopters. HAL is working on fitting autopilot features, with the first chopper expected to be ready by December 2024.

The Indian army released an RFI for leasing helicopters last year, which, according to the army, will be used mainly for surveillance and reconnaissance.