New Delhi, Sept 04: Flush from their recent success in killing top terrorist Gazi Baba in Srinagar, the Border Security Force is set to acquire six Russian MI-17 helicopters and 14 floating offshore battle platforms for Rann of Kutch in order to boost its anti-militancy operations. "The first of the six helicopters would be delivered by September 16 and would be inducted into Jammu and Kashmir and North East", Additional Director General of BSF A K Mitra told reporters here. Mitra said all the six MI-17 helicopters would be delivered to the force by early next year, four of which would be deployed in Kashmir and two in Assam. BSF would be first force after IAF to have the medium lift helicopters, as the army aviation only operates smaller Chetak and Cheetah choppers. Talking to newsmen on the sidelines of the 8th India International Civil and Defence Exhibition (IICDES), Mitra said his force was also set to boost up its air wing and the Home Ministry was in negotiations with the American aviation giant Lockheed Martin for purchase of two to three medium lift C130J or its smaller C-27 version. The BSF proposal to induct a Brazilian company Embraer 14 seater executive jet has already been cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security.

Bureau Report