Naval Air Squadron 326 equipped with ALH Mk III helicopters joins Indian Navy.

According to information published by the Indian Ministry of Defense on April 19, 2021, the Indian Naval Air Squadron (INAS) 323 equipped with local-made ALH Mk III helicopters was commissioned into the Indian Navy on April 19, 2021.
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The new ALH Mk III naval helicopter for the Indian navy. (Picture source Indian MoD)

Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Raksha Rajya Mantri said that the commissioning of INAS 323 marked yet another milestone in the efforts towards enhancing maritime security and safeguarding maritime interests of the nation, as also embodying the spirit of Atma Nirbhar Bharat.

The squadron will operate three state-of-the-arts ALH Mk III, a multirole helicopter with Shakti engine manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). The Mk III version of the ALH has an all-glass cockpit and will be used for Search and Rescue, Special Operations and Coastal Surveillance.

A total of 16 helicopters are under procurement and the aircraft are being delivered in a phased manner to the Indian Navy.

The ALH Mk III has a four-bladed main rotor and can reach a flight speed of 292 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 630 km and an endurance of 3.65 hours.

The ALH Mk III is also equipped with Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS) to display flight and platform information, mission data, target information as well as additional enhanced application capabilities such as Low Visibility Landing and Take-Off, flight within Degraded Visibility Environment, optional Weapons Management and Synthetic Vision during day and night flying.

Standard equipment of the ALH helicopter also includes Integrated Self Protection Suite (IDAS) providing warning and situational awareness to the crew in a hostile threat environment. The IDAS sensors are able to detect radar, missile, and laser threats from any position relative to the aircraft. The system reacts either automatically, semi-automatically or in backup/manual modes, depending on crew selection.

The Indian-made helicopter uses Digital Moving Map that generates a digital real-time moving map and gives the ability to pilot and co-pilot to perform the mission effectively. It can meet the requirements of different applications with the help of high processing power, high-resolution map image, and storage capacity.