Indian Air Force organises conclave to celebrate diamond jubilee of Chetak Helicopter

New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) today organised a conclave at Air Force Station, Hakimpet in Hyderabad to commemorate 60 years of the Chetak helicopter's service to the Nation.

Defence Minister Mr Rajnath Singh attended the conclave which also saw the presence of Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhuri, senior retired & serving officers of the helicopter stream from the three services and officials of the Ministry of Defence, Indian Coast Guard & Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister said, "Safety and security of the country is Government's top priority and all efforts are being made to safeguard its unity and integrity."

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The Raksha Mantri described the conclave as a fitting tribute to those who have served the Nation with hard work and dedication. Paying his respects to this invaluable contribution, he said, "Whenever a country fights a war for safety and security, it is not just the Armed Forces who take part. The whole nation fights that war. The scientists, engineers and technicians of organisations like HAL, who develop helicopters like 'Chetak' and other platforms, play an equally important role as our soldiers. Lakhs of employees and workers associated with MSMEs also contribute by supplying parts to these projects. This conclave celebrates the hard work and dedication of all of them."

The conclave was organised to provide a platform to showcase six decades of helicopter operations in the country, highlighting the operations of 'Chetak'. The event comprised reflections, narrations and discussions by prominent speakers from the veteran community and the Services.

French-origin helicopters, Aloutte III,was inducted to IAF in 1962. However, Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) delivered the first licence-produced Chetak (Aloutte III) to IAF in 1965. The event will also mark the 60th anniversary of the IAF's Helicopter Training School (HTS), which was set up on April 2, 1962, at Air Force Station, Palam, and relocated to Hakimpet in 1973.

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