The Indian Navy awarded Lieutenant Commander Bhaskar Rajvanshi a heroism medal in recognition of his extraordinary bravery and professionalism. His heroic recovery of an advanced light helicopter (ALH) from a catastrophic control breakdown stands as a testament to a major milestone in the history of naval aviation. This occurrence, which happened on March 8, 2023, is the first instance in the history of the DHRUV Chopper fleet as a whole of a safe recovery from a collective control failure emergency.

As the DHRUV MK-III-MR helicopter, registered IN 709, was making its way from the aircraft carrier INS Vikrant to Mumbai, the incident took place. At 500 feet above mean sea level, with three people inside, the aircraft suddenly lost collective power, causing it to descend quickly and without any warning.

Three additional officers were also given the Nao Sena Medal Gallantry during an event held at INS Hansa in Goa, which was seen by Navy Chief Admiral R Hari Kumar. These included Lt Cdr Panneerselvam Vishnu Prasanna, Cdr Kaustab Banerjee, and Cdr Manish Singh Karki, who were all honoured for their individual bravery and professionalism.

The difficult rescue attempt that Lt Cdr P V Prasanna led in January 2023 to retrieve a submerged aircraft from a depth of 219 metres received praise. His commendation appropriately recognised his extraordinary skill and bravery in the face of adversity.

Cdr Banerjee bravely volunteered to help a disabled platform being towed at sea in June 2022. Operating a Seaking 42 C aircraft in poor conditions for more than 250 nautical miles without