HAL hands over four ALH MK III maritime helicopters to Indian Coast Guard

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited has handed over four ALH Mk III (Maritime Role) helicopters to the Indian Coast Guard in Bengaluru, marking another step in the steady expansion of India’s indigenous maritime aviation capability. HAL said the delivery was completed on schedule, with the helicopters allocated to Coast Guard squadrons at Kochi and Porbandar. The company also noted that it had already delivered 16 ALH Mk III (MR) helicopters to the Coast Guard by 2022, while an additional order for six more helicopters was signed in March 2026.

The helicopters handed over now are part of the nine-strong ALH Mk III (MR) contract signed in March 2024, while the newer March 3, 2026 Ministry of Defence contract for six more helicopters is valued at ₹2,901 crore and includes operational role equipment, engineering support, and performance-based logistics. The Defence Ministry has said these twin-engine helicopters are designed for a wide spectrum of maritime security missions from shore bases as well as from ships at sea, and that their induction will strengthen the Coast Guard’s ability to protect offshore assets, fishermen, and the marine environment.

The ALH Mk III (MR), the maritime variant of the indigenous Dhruv helicopter, is built for roles such as maritime surveillance, search and rescue, casualty evacuation, coastal security, law enforcement, logistics support, troop transport, anti-piracy operations, and limited armed tasks. Earlier official details from PIB said the Mk III configuration includes a glass cockpit, Shakti engines, and mission systems such as surveillance radar, EO pod, AIS, SAR homer, AFCS, searchlight, rescue basket, radio altimeter, and a 12.7 mm gun system, giving the platform a broad utility profile for peacetime and operational deployment.

Strategically, the handover matters because it keeps reinforcing the Coast Guard’s rotary-wing fleet with an Indian-designed and Indian-built platform at a time when maritime domain awareness, coastal policing, offshore asset protection, and rapid-response missions are becoming more demanding. The Ministry of Defence has also said the broader ALH Mk III (MR) programme supports more than 200 MSMEs and is expected to generate about 65 lakh man-hours of employment, tying maritime security directly to domestic aerospace manufacturing depth.

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Sources:
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/hal-hands-over-alh-mk-iii-mr-helicopters-to-indian-coast-guard/article70847586.ece
https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2234987&lang=1&reg=3
https://www.pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1695519