All You Need To Know About The IAF Mi17V5 Helicopter

NEW DELHI/TAMIL NADU:  An Mi17V5 IAF helicopter crashed with Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat and 12 other people on board on Wednesday in the Niligiris at Coonoor.  The IAF Mi-17V5 helicopter was airborne from Sulur for Wellington before it crashed and burst into flames in the forest area. As per the latest reports, 13 people are feared dead and one person is undergoing treatment at Wellington Hospital. Videos surfacing on Twitter show visuals of a man being carried by police and army officials to be that of CDS Bipin Rawat from the site.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will make an official statement about the incident on the floor of the Parliament on Thursday.

The Mi17V5 helicopter is an advanced military transport chopper that has been with the Indian Air Force (IAF) since 2012. An Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the Indian Air Force tweeted through its social media handle confirming the accident.

India purchased 80 Mi17V5 medium-lift helicopters from Russia in 2008. It is meant to be used for humanitarian and disaster relief missions apart from transport operations. The first batch of these helicopters came to India in September 2011.

• Manufactured by Russian Helicopters' subsidiary Kazan, the helicopter has onboard weather radar and is equipped with the latest generation of night vision devices.
• It also has a PKV-8 autopilot system and a KNEI-8 avionics suite.
•  It can carry a maximum take-off weight of 13,000 kg and a maximum payload weight of 4,000 kg.
• Around 24 people can fit in the helicopter.
• The helicopter is fitted with a self-defence system against heat seeker missiles, heavily-armored cockpit, vital systems and components.
• The helicopter can achieve a maximum speed of 250 km per hour.
• The helicopter is fitted with advanced TV3-117VM engines.
• It is the most technically advanced helicopter of the Mi-8/17 family of helicopters and incorporates the best engineering solutions from previous generations of helicopters. (Source: Agencies

Also Read: IAF Chopper Crash With CDS Bipin Rawat: Rajnath Singh to Brief Parliament Tomorrow