IAF's Apache Attack Helicopter Makes Dramatic Emergency Landing In Madhya Pradesh Village

An Apache attack helicopter belonging to the Indian Air Force (IAF) made an emergency landing in a village located in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district earlier today, ANI has reported.

The IAF reported that the precautionary landing occurred during routine operational training. Fortunately, all crew members and the aircraft remained unharmed. The IAF promptly dispatched a rectification party to the site to assess and address the situation.

According to Chambal Zone Inspector General of Police S Saxena, who provided information via phone, the helicopter experienced a "crash landing", but fortunately, there were no fatalities or injuries.

This incident involves one of the 22 Apache AH-64 helicopters purchased by India as part of a deal signed with the United States in September 2015. India signed another agreement in 2020 for the purchase of six more Apache helicopters at an estimated cost of $800 million.

Apache helicopters come armed with Hellfire precision-strike missiles and air-to-air Stinger missiles. Of the IAF's 22 Apaches, 11 are equipped with the Longbow fire control radar system. Along with the Longbow radars, these missiles can wreak havoc on enemy armour. It is not for nothing that the Apaches are often referred to as "tank killers."

Apache's chin-mounted gun can send 625 armour-penetrating bullets per minute ripping into the targets. It is equipped with the Hellfire missile, designed as a heavy tank killer to destroy Soviet armour on the battlefields of Western Europe.

At the peak of the military crisis with China in eastern Ladakh, Apache helicopters were spotted flying in and out of the Leh Air Base. Both India and China had deployed armoured units, including tanks, during the standoff, which began in May 2020 and continues at some friction points.