ALL-BSF crew undertakes first helicopter flight in Assam

Till now the BSF aircrafts were being operated by aircrew from the Indian Air Force

NEW DELHI: In a first, an all-bsf air crew on Thursday flew its maiden helicopter sortie carrying Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in Assam. The new synergy between aviation assets of Ministry of Home Affaris (MHA) and its troops on ground resulted into the All BSF aircrew of the Air Wing of Border Security Force (BSF) which flew the MI-17 V5 helicopter from Guwahati on Thursday.

Minister of States for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju became the first dignitary of the new chapter with the induction of its own pilots and crew.

Wing Commander HD Lohani (Retd) and Wing Commander S Malik (Retd) both appointed as Commandant/ Pilot recently, were part of the crew for this historic occasion. This is a significant achievement and shows the confidence and capability of managing its resources and expanding the operational envelop of recently inducted modern MI-17 V5 choppers.

Till now the BSF aircrafts were being operated by aircrew from the Indian Air Force. Since its establishment in 1969, the Aviation Wing of MHA under BSF is expanding from Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi to Ranchi and Guwahati.

With this development, the BSF helicopters are now covering the entire length and breadth of the country - from hills and forests of Arunachal Pradesh to the vast expanse of the Rann of Kutch.

The service has provided the much needed impetus in fight against the Naxals, as a result their activities have significantly reduced.