Indian army to get Rudra choppers, armed with missiles and rockets in Aug

After fighting a messy turf war with the IAF over getting its own ``attack'' helicopters, the Army will take a major step forward in getting airborne firepower by raising its first-ever dedicated squadron of "armed'' choppers next month.

The first squadron of ``Rudra'' helicopters, the weaponised version of ``Dhruv'' advanced light helicopters (ALH) manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL), will be raised in Bangalore and later deployed in the western sector facing Pakistan, said sources.

While not in the class of heavy-duty ``attack'' helicopters, which have greater combat capabilities and armour protection, each Rudra will be armed with a chin-mounted 12.7mm canon, 70mm rockets, Magic Matra air-to-air missiles and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) to form a ``deadly package'' against enemy forces.

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