Army Cheetah Helicopter Crashes Near Leh, Division Commander Among 3 Injured

Three Indian Army officers, including a division commander, were injured after a Cheetah light helicopter crashed near Leh in Ladakh on Wednesday.

Sources said the helicopter was carrying Division Commander Sachin Mehta and two pilots during an afternoon sortie in the Ladakh sector when the accident occurred.

All three personnel survived the crash and are reported to be in stable condition. The two pilots sustained minor injuries and were admitted to hospital for treatment.

The Indian Army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the cause of the crash.

What Is the Cheetal Helicopter?

The helicopter involved in the accident was a Cheetal variant — an upgraded version of the ageing Cheetah helicopter fitted with a more powerful TM333B engine for better performance in high-altitude conditions.

Derived from the French-origin Alouette III helicopter, the Cheetah-Cheetal fleet has long served as a key component of Indian military aviation, especially in difficult terrains such as Ladakh, Siachen and Arunachal Pradesh.

The helicopters are routinely used for reconnaissance, casualty evacuation, troop movement and logistics support to remote forward posts where larger aircraft face operational limitations.

Renewed Concerns Over Ageing Helicopter Fleet

The latest crash has once again raised concerns over the ageing Cheetah-Cheetal fleet and its safety record.

In 2015, the Army Wives Agitation Group (AWAG) had informed then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that 191 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters had crashed over three decades, resulting in the deaths of 294 pilots.

The issue resurfaced in 2022 after another fatal Cheetah crash in Arunachal Pradesh. AWAG later wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that 31 military pilots had died in accidents involving Cheetah and Chetak helicopters since 2017.

HAL’s LUH Meant to Replace Legacy Fleet

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)’s Light Utility Helicopter (LUH) has been selected as the replacement for the ageing Cheetah-Cheetal fleet.

Although the Defence Acquisition Council approved procurement of 12 Limited Series Production LUHs in 2021, the transition has progressed slower than expected, extending the operational life of the older helicopters.

Earlier plans to induct Russian Ka-226T helicopters under an India-Russia joint programme also failed to materialise because of cost and localisation-related issues.