On Friday, the Indian Army raised its first squadron of Apache attack helicopters in the desert area of Jodhpur, close to the front with Pakistan. This gave the army a huge boost in its capabilities.
The squadron was raised today in Jodhpur, in front of Director General of Indian Army Aviation Lt Gen Ajay Suri, officials from Boeing, the company that made the planes, and other high-level officials.
They said that the Indian Army Apache helicopters would hide their colors in the desert and that the first group of choppers would arrive and join the fleet by May of this year.
They were a little behind schedule because of the current state of world security, but officials say they are now back on track.
The Indian Army signed a deal with the US earlier to buy six Apache helicopters.
These advanced attack helicopters, which are sometimes called “tanks in the air,” will land at the Hindon Air Force Station of the Indian Air Force (IAF). They will then be sent to Jodhpur in May, which is close to the border between India and Pakistan, according to officials.
The Army Aviation Corps currently uses utility helicopters like the Dhruv and Chetak. Last year, the LCH Prachand, which was designed and built in India, was introduced at Missamari, Assam.
The IAF already has a fleet of 22 Apache helicopters that have been sent to both the eastern and western fronts.
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