Chandigarh, June 13: An Apache helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) made an emergency landing on Friday in the Nangalpur area of Punjab’s Pathankot district due to a suspected technical glitch.

The incident occurred while the aircraft was on a routine training sortie.

Both the pilot and co-pilot escaped unhurt, and no damage to civilian life or property has been reported.

The helicopter was promptly secured by military personnel, and a technical team has been deployed to inspect the aircraft.

As of now, neither the IAF nor the local administration has issued an official statement detailing the cause of the emergency landing.

Officials present at the site declined to comment, citing operational security protocols.

This is the second such incident involving an Apache helicopter in recent days. On June 6, another Apache was forced to make a “precautionary landing” in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur due to technical concerns. No injuries were reported in that case either.

Emergency or precautionary landings of military aircraft are not uncommon and are typically carried out to prevent potential mishaps when any anomaly is detected during flight.

The latest incident also comes just a day after a tragic crash involving a London-bound Air India flight that killed at least 241 people.

The AH-64E Apache helicopters were formally inducted into the IAF in September 2019 as part of the 125 Helicopter Squadron based in Pathankot. These advanced multi-role attack helicopters were brought in to replace the aging Soviet-era Mi-25/35 gunships, which had been in service since the 1980s.

Since their induction, Apaches have been deployed in forward areas, particularly along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, following the border standoff with China in 2020. Designed for high-altitude operations, these helicopters have played a critical role in enhancing the IAF’s tactical capabilities in difficult terrain. (IANS)

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