India to need 1,000 civil helicopters in 5-8 years: Rammohan Naidu

Bengaluru, Sep 18 (UNI) India will need nearly 1,000 civil helicopters in the next five to eight years, more than four times the existing fleet of around 250, creating a large domestic market for indigenous helicopter manufacturers, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Friday. Addressing an event here where Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) handed over four Dhruv Next Generation (NG) civil helicopters, Naidu said the indigenous 5.5-tonne twin-engine helicopter could play a key role in expanding India's civilian helicopter ecosystem. "Today India operates around 250 civil helicopters across the country, but with the growing needs and growing capabilities…