India’s maritime surveillance capabilities are encountering a profound operational crisis due to the extended grounding of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) DHRUV fleet operated by the Navy and Coast Guard, reported Pradip R Sagar of India Today.

This indigenous platform, vital for coastal security and sea-based operations, has left significant gaps in coverage, particularly affecting the Indian Coast Guard.

Senior Coast Guard officers have candidly admitted that surveillance levels have regressed to those of the 1980s, bereft of modern ship-borne helicopters. The predicament intensified following a tragic crash of an DHRUV MK-III at Porbandar airport in Gujarat on 5 January, which claimed the lives of two pilots and one aircrew member—both pilots being qualified flying instructors.

In response, the entire DHRUV fleet was grounded in January, marking the third such instance since 2023. Approximately 250 DHRUV helicopters serve across the Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. While Army and Air Force variants have been cleared to fly again, the naval and Coast Guard fleets remain side-lined, exacerbating the maritime surveillance void.

The helicopter’s chequered accident history fuels ongoing concerns, with 26 crashes recorded in recent years. The Army, operating 154 DHRUVs, has lost 16 to incidents involving control rod and tail rotor failures. The Air Force, with 70 aircraft, has endured six crashes linked to control rod issues and other technical faults.

The Navy’s 23 DHRUVs have also suffered crashes, including those tied to control rod failures. The Coast Guard inducted 16 DHRUV MK-III helicopters, but three have crashed, leaving 13 grounded aircraft. A Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) defect investigation pinpointed a fracture in the Non-Rotating Swashplate Bearing (NRSB) as the cause of the Porbandar incident.

Despite repeated engagements between Coast Guard officials and HAL, confidence remains elusive. A senior Coast Guard officer confided to India Today that the force cannot jeopardise lives further, especially given the expertise of the deceased pilots. “Our satisfaction level is zero,” the officer stated, underscoring deep-seated apprehensions after multiple unresolved meetings.

Deprived of the DHRUV MK-III, the Coast Guard relies on antiquated Chetak and Cheetah helicopters, hampered by limited endurance, payload, and obsolete avionics. These legacy platforms severely curtail airborne maritime surveillance, heightening risks from illegal fishing, smuggling, infiltration, and other sea threats.

This shortfall arrives amid expanded responsibilities: safeguarding over 7,500 km of coastline and a 2.4 million square km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). The DHRUV MK-III proved a force multiplier, launching from warships to extend surveillance radii, while also enabling medical evacuations and responses to maritime emergencies like oil spills.

A stark example unfolded in May when the container ship MSC ELSA 3 sank off Kerala’s coast, spilling furnace oil, diesel, plastic nurdles, and calcium carbide. The contamination ravaged beaches from Thiruvananthapuram to Kollam, harming marine life, fisheries, and ecosystems, and prompting Coast Guard-Navy interventions, fishing bans, clean-ups, and Kerala’s oil spill contingency planning.

The irony persists despite heavy investment in indigenous prowess. In March 2017, a contract procured 32 DHRUV MK-III helicopters for coastal security, led by the Coast Guard post the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 attacks. The Navy’s 16 units integrated into this programme to bolster low-intensity maritime operations.

These helicopters boast advanced features: a nose-mounted surveillance radar with 270-degree coverage, synthetic aperture radar, inverse synthetic aperture radar, and moving target indication classification. Yet, with no restoration timeline even a year later, the Navy has improvised with alternatives, leaving the Coast Guard in acute distress.

Senior officers caution that India’s maritime domain awareness remains perilously compromised. This saga raises probing questions on safety, accountability, and the enduring viability of a pivotal indigenous aviation initiative, as operational voids persist without resolution.

Based On India Today Report