The whole fleet of military helicopters has been suspended after a mishap this month, thus the locally created Advanced Light Helicopter will not be featured in the next Republic Day flypast.
About 330 ALHs are being flown by the Army, Indian Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.
Following the January 5 crash of a Coast Guard ALH in Porbandar, Gujarat, the military grounded the whole fleet of the twin-engine helicopters.
An IAF official informed reporters that the ALH Dhruv would not be participating in the Republic Day flypast at Kartavya Path on January 26.
Until a high-level inquiry panel determines the reason of the disaster that claimed the lives of two Coast Guard pilots and an aircrew diver, the helicopters are probably going to stay grounded.
For almost 15 years, the helicopters have been a feature of the Republic Day flypasts.
The state-owned aerospace giant Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. produces the ALH-Dhruv, a new generation helicopter with several roles and missions that weighs 5.5 tons.
The aforementioned official added that Tejas, a locally built single-engine light combat aircraft, will not be participating in the Republic Day flypast.
The IAF no longer participates in the R-Day parade with single-engine aircraft.
The HAL produces the Tejas aircraft, which is a powerful platform for offensive air support and air combat missions. Its secondary functions include anti-ship and surveillance.
The defense ministry and Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. inked a ₹48,000 crore agreement in February 2021 to buy 83 Tejas MK-1A aircraft for the IAF.
The ministry gave preliminary approval in November of last year to purchase an extra 97 TEJAS aircraft for the IAF.
According to the official, there will be three Dornier surveillance aircraft, seven helicopters, eleven transport planes, and twenty-two fighter jets in the Republic Day flypast.
The flypast will also feature a Rafale combat plane.
There will be 144 members of the IAF marching contingent at the event.
