Indian
Navy on 12 November 2013 commissioned the first Advanced Light Weight
Helicopters Squadron at Southern Command, Kochi, Kerala.
This squadron of
Advanced Light Weight Helicopters will help Indian Navy for search and rescue operations
during night hours in a more effective manner. The Navy has transformed Dhruv
helicopters into an advance search and rescue helicopter according to the
requirements.
The
newly commissioned Squadron named Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 322 is an
exclusive group of Dhruv Helicopters, which was designed and manufactured by
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. Bangalore.
The Dhruv
helicopters are being operational at INAS Garuda, the Naval Air Station
at Kochi since March 2002 and being used for missions including rescue
operations. It has proven her mettle in many rescue operations
during the last nine years. Dhruv is one among the few helicopters in the
world, which is capable of night search and rescue operations over the sea.