Chopper carrying Gen Rawat was a Russian-made Mi-17V-5,

India’s first chief of defence staff, General Bipin Rawat, and his wife were among 13 people killed after an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter they were travelling in crashed near Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, on Wednesday (December 8).

“With deep regret, it has now been ascertained that General Bipin Rawat, Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other persons on board have died in the unfortunate accident,” the IAF said in a tweet.

Gen Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) was on a visit to Defence Services Staff College, Wellington (Nilgiri Hills) to address the faculty and student officers of the Staff Course today.

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) December 8, 2021

Also read: CDS General Bipin Rawat dies in chopper crash, confirms IAF

Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the incident. According to sources, Singh will brief Parliament on the incident tomorrow (Thursday).

Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah were among those who took to Twitter to condole the deaths.

General Rawat had served the country with exceptional courage and diligence. As the first Chief of Defence Staff he had prepared plans for jointness of our Armed Forces.

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 8, 2021

I also express my deepest condolences on the sad demise of Mrs Madhulika Rawat and 11 other Armed Forces personnel. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. May God give them the strength to bear this tragic loss.

Praying for the speedy recovery of Gp Capt Varun Singh.

— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) December 8, 2021

The custom-made Indian Mi-17V5 is a military transport variant in the Mi-8/17 family of choppers. It is produced by Kazan Helicopters, a subsidiary of Russian Helicopters.

The Mi-17V5 is based on the Mi-8 airframe and retains the performance characteristics of its predecessors. It can fly in tropical and maritime climates, as well as desert conditions.

The helicopter has a maximum takeoff weight of 13,000kg. It can transport either 36 armed soldiers internally or 4,500kg of load on a sling.

The glass cockpit of the Mi-17V-5 is equipped with state-of-the-art avionics, including four multifunction displays, night-vision equipment, an on-board weather radar, and an autopilot system.

The Mi-17V5 variant integrates KNEI-8 avionics suite including navigation, information-displays and cueing systems.

It is armed with Shturm-V missiles, S-8 rockets, a 23mm machine gun, PKT machine guns, and AKM sub-machine guns, and features eight firing posts for aiming the weapons.

The onboard armament allows the crew to engage enemy personnel, armoured vehicles and other fixed and moving targets.

Also read: Bipin Rawat chopper crash, a grim reminder of similar tragedies

The powerplant of the Mi-17V5 integrates either a Klimov TV3-117VM or VK-2500 turbo-shaft engine. The TV3-117VM develops a maximum power of 2,100hp, whereas the VK-2500 provides a power output of 2,700hp.

The Mi-17V5 has a maximum speed of 250km/h, and a standard range of 580km, which can be extended to 1,065km when fitted with two auxiliary fuel tanks. It can fly at a maximum altitude of 6,000m.

Experts astounded

Defence experts and former officers are astounded that the Mi-17V-5 helicopter could have been caught up in such an accident.

The aircraft is said to be extremely reliable and secure and is not likely to have developed complications.

It can “carry personnel, cargo and equipment inside the cargo cabin or on an external sling, drop tactical air assault forces and reconnaissance and sabotage groups, destroy ground targets and carry the wounded”.

The advanced chopper is used heavily for high-altitude operations, especially transports in various weather and topography conditions.

Some experts described the machine as a “very reliable, safe, stable, and large”, which is also used to transport VIPs, including the President and the Prime Minister.