06 Oct. 2017                                                                                                                                                                                      IHS Jane's Defence Weekly

An Indian Air Force (IAF) Mil Mi-17V-5 medium-lift helicopter crashed in India’s mountainous northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh on 6 October, killing all seven service personnel on board.

IAF officials said the twin-engine platform crashed at approximately 6.00 h local time in a hilly area near Tawang district, about 12 km from the Chinese border, while on a routine “air maintenance” mission.

The IAF has ordered an investigation into the incident, which comes just two days before the IAF marks its 85th anniversary on 8 October.

The recent crash follows that of a Dhruv Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) in the same region in July in which three IAF personnel died.