Latest news with #Antonov-124
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Army finally gets the first 3 of the 6 Apache attack helicopters ordered from the US
Army gets the first 3 of the 6 Apache attack helicopters ordered from the US NEW DELHI: The`tanks in the air' for the Army are finally here. Three of the six long-delayed Apache AH-64 attack helicopters, contracted under the Rs 5,691 crore deal with the US in Feb 2020, arrived in India on Tuesday. The three Apache gunships were transported on board a gigantic Antonov-124 aircraft to the Hindon airbase, on the outskirts of New Delhi, at 10 am. The heavy-duty choppers will now be flown to Jodhpur, where the Army had raised an Apache squadron in March last year to cater for the western front with Pakistan. The next three Apaches, which are armed with Stinger air-to-air missiles, Hellfire Longbow air-to-ground missiles, guns and rockets, will be delivered by Nov, as earlier reported by TOI. 'The arrival of the first batch of the Apache helicopters for the Army is a significant step towards strengthening India's defence capabilities. These advanced helicopters will enhance the Army Aviation Corps' operational effectiveness, especially in challenging terrains,' defence minister Rajnath Singh said. Apache AH-64 attack helicopters The six Apaches for the Army, which were delayed due to supply chain problems faced by Boeing, will add to the 22 such choppers inducted by IAF under the Rs 13,952 crore deal with the US in Sept 2015. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like A genetic disorder that is damaging his organs. Help my son Donate For Health Donate Now Undo One of those choppers was badly damaged after a hard landing near Khardung La in Ladakh on April 4 last year. 'The Apaches are primarily meant to provide integrated combat aviation cover for the `strike corps' of the Army,' the officer said. The Army and the IAF are also slated to induct 156 indigenous Prachand light combat helicopters, which are capable of offensive operations in high-altitude areas like Siachen Glacier and eastern Ladakh, under a mega Rs 62,700 crore contract inked with Hindustan Aeronautics in March. The Army will get 90 of them, the IAF 66. The Army Aviation Corps (AAC) is slowly but steadily bolstering its strike, surveillance and airlift capabilities, with plans underway to also induct 126 light utility helicopters as well as additional Dhruv advanced light helicopters. The AAC is progressively setting up more integrated aviation brigades after the first three – two along the Line of Actual Control with China and one on the western front with Pakistan – came up earlier.
Libya Observer
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Libya Observer
RFI: Libya's Al-Khadim airbase has become hub for Russian arms transfers to the Sahel
Radio France Internationale (RFI) has revealed in an in-depth investigation that Russia has increasingly relied on the Al-Khadim airbase, located east of Benghazi, to reinforce its military presence in the African Sahel region. This shift comes after Moscow's influence in Syria waned following the ousting of Bashar Al-Assad's regime in late 2024. According to RFI's investigative unit, a large Russian Antonov-124 cargo plane was tracked departing from Syria's Hmeimim Airbase on May 16, 2025, and landing at Libya's Al-Khadim base. The flight is reportedly part of a broader pattern of recently observed air routes between Syria and Libya, forming what appears to be a new Russian air bridge to Africa. The aircraft, identified with the registration RA-82030 and operated by the 224th Flight Unit of the Russian Ministry of Defense, continued its journey to Sahel destinations, including Bamako, Mali, and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, before returning to Russia. While the exact nature of the cargo remains unconfirmed, the aircraft's size and capacity suggest the transport of heavy equipment, such as armored vehicles or air defense systems. US satellite imaging company Maxar confirmed the plane's presence on the runway at Al-Khadim on May 18. The investigation also featured reports and videos published on Telegram channels affiliated with the Wagner Group and the Kremlin's Africa Corps, showing the unloading of military cargo at Al-Khadim, including heavy weaponry and vehicles resembling those previously used by Russian forces in Syria. According to Lou Osborn, an expert with the monitoring group All Eyes on Wagner, these movements highlight growing military and political ties between Moscow and the eastern Libyan leadership under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Osborn notes that Russia is expanding its footprint in North Africa while simultaneously opening diplomatic channels with Tripoli and intensifying its engagement in Algeria and Tunisia.
