According to CAG, of the 181 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters flown by the Army Aviation pilots, 51 are 40 years old or older and 78 between 30 and 40 years old.

Months after a group of wives of Army Aviation pilots approached Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, complaining about the sorry condition of choppers flown by their husbands, the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has pulled the Defence Ministry for the old assets.

The CAG, in its report tabled in Parliament on Friday, said 52 per cent of Army Aviation helicopters are more than 30 years old and only 40 per cent available for operations. “The helicopters held are old and aging, with 52 per cent of the fleet more than 30 years old. The effective availability of helicopters for operations gets further reduced to 40 per cent of the authorisation due to low level of serviceability of the existing fleet,” the report said.

According to CAG, of the 181 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters flown by the Army Aviation pilots, 51 are 40 years old or older and 78 between 30 and 40 years old.

CAG said against the desired 80 per cent serviceability, the Chetak and Cheetah choppers have been operating at a mere 65 per cent serviceability. “Despite these shortcomings, Army Aviation could not replace its fleet of Cheetah/Chetak helicopters being used for reconnaissance and observation… We observed that against 18 schemes approved in 11th and 12th Service Capital Acquisition Plan, contracts in respect of only four schemes could be concluded in nine years period, so far,” it said.

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