Govt Committed To Boost 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' Scheme By Inducting LCH, LUH Helicopters In Armed Forces: MoS Defence

The government on Wednesday (24 March) said that it was committed to boost the 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' scheme by inducting indigenously developed Light Combat Helicopters (LCHs) and Light Utility Helicopters (LUHs) into the Armed Forces.

The induction of new aircraft, weapons etc into the Armed Forces is a continuous process, the Minister of State (MoS) for Defence Shripad Naik said in a written reply to the question asked by BJP MP Tejaswi Surya.

"The Government is committed to boost “Atmanirbhar Bharat” scheme by inducting LCH and LUH helicopters in Armed Forces," Naik said.

"So far, till February 2021, the government has issued 523 Industrial licenses for manufacturing of various items in Defence sector," he added.

The minister also informed about the recent inductions of aircraft and weapons in the Armed Forces.

According to the information provided by the MoS Defence, the Indian Army inducted Cheetal helicopters, Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) , 20 mm Turret Gun – Integrated with ALH (WSI) platform, and 70 mm Turret Gun – Integrated with ALH (WSI) platform.

The Indian Navy recent inductions include Dornier 228 aircraft, ALH MK III, Chetak helicopters, and P-8I aircraft.

Meanwhile, Indian Air Force inducted Rafale aircraft, Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), C-17 and C-130 transport aircraft, and Chinook and Apache Helicopters.