Coast Guard chief undertakes maiden sortie in indigenous light utility chopper

Indian Coast Guard (ICG) chief on Monday undertook his maiden sortie in an indigenous Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) in Bengaluru.

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ICG chief VS Pathania also praised the indigenous LUH (Photo: ANI)

Indian Coast Guard chief on Monday undertook his maiden sortie in an indigenous light utility chopper.

VS Pathania, Director General of Coast Guard, undertook the maiden sortie of 45 minutes in an indigenous Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) in Karnataka's Bengaluru.

During his visit, Pathania was presented with a detailed brief on the Light Utility Helicopter (LUH), which is designed and developed as a replacement for Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, which are being operated by the Indian Armed Forces, a release said.

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LUH is a new generation helicopter that incorporates state-of-the-art technology features like glass cockpit with Multi-Function Displays (MFD) and is powered by a single turbo shaft engine with sufficient power margin to cater to any exigency demanding higher power setting operations, it added.

The helicopter is capable of flying at a cruise speed of 130 kts, a service ceiling of 6.5 km, and a range of 243 nm.

On Monday, HAL handed over the Mk-III chopper to the Coast Guard. These helicopters feature an array of state-of-the-art sensors, which add to the maritime prowess of the Indian Coast Guard at sea.

These helicopters have 'Shakti' engines, a full glass cockpit, high-intensity searchlights, a traffic alert and collision avoidance system, advanced communication systems, an automatic identification system, a search-and-rescue capability, and an automatic flight control system. They are also fitted with modern surveillance radar and electro-optical equipment, which enables them to undertake the role of long-range maritime reconnaissance in addition to providing long-range search and rescue, both by day and night, the release added.

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