Army Aviation Corps ( India ) The Army Aviation Corps is a component of the Indian Army formed on 1 November 1986 . The aviation arm is headed by an Director General of the rank of Lt General at the Army HQ , New Delhi . Role . The army aviation pilots are drawn from other combat arms , including artillery officers , to form a composite third dimensional force for an integrated battle . IAF operates & flies attack Helicopter s like the Mil Mi - 25 / Mi - 35 which are owned and administered by the Indian Air Force , but under the operational control of the Army & play a major role to support the armoured columns and infantry . Apart from the attack role , helicopters like the HAL Chetak ( Aérospatiale SA 316 Alouette III ) , HAL Cheetah ( Aérospatiale SA 315 Lama ) and HAL Dhruv provide logistical support for the Indian Army in remote and inaccessible areas , especially the Siachen Glacier . Army Aviation Corps ( AAC ) also perform tasks like CSAR and Medical evacuation ( MEDEVAC ) during war and in the case of natural calamities . Operational history . In 1984 , the Indian Army ' s Northern Command inducted the HAL Cheetah into the Siachen Glacier . The daredevil pilots were put to the ultimate test professionally and also in terms of human endurance . In 1986 , the " Air Observation Post " units were transferred from the Air Force to the Army to form the Army Aviation branch . Using nine helicopter squadrons , Army Aviation has supported ground units by carrying men and material in the highest battlefield on earth , culminating in the conquest of the entire 72 km of the Siachen Glacier . Innumerable skirmishes and confrontations are taking place in the ongoing operations in the Siachen Glacier and the Army Aviation Corps is providing the required support for sustenance of our troops . The Sri Lankan operations saw full - fledged jungle warfare application of the army ' s aviation resources in extremely hostile conditions . The Corps won laurels for its daring performance in the face of all odds . The Corps has also been operating in the jungle , mountain and riverine terrains of India since long . A unit of the Army Aviation Corps had the unique distinction of operating in Somalia , as part of UNOSOM - II ( United Nations Operation in Somalia - II ) , from October 1993 to November 1994 . During these operations , the flight flew over 2000 hours without any accident and maintained 100 % serviceability in an environment akin to our desert terrain . Army aviators have also been operating in the desert areas since long . In fact , some of the Army ' s biggest battles and peacetime exercises have been carried out in the deserts and areas contiguous to the plains of Punjab . The Corps has an exposure of participating in a war - like scenario in Operation Vijay - 1999 Kargil Conflict . Aircraft inventory . The Indian Army operates around 158 helicopters . Two HAL Rudra s have been inducted into the corps in February 2013 . A total of 60 Rudra helicopters will be inducted , with the first 20 are to be inducted by mid - 2013 . Training . Training is imparted to all candidates at the Combat Army Aviation Training School ( CATS ) at Nashik . The Army Aviation training was previously conducted in School of Artillery , Deolali . But now it is carried out in an independent Combat Air Training School also at Deolali . The Cheetah helicopter simulator has been set up at Combat Army Aviation Training School ( CATS ) . It is expected to reduce substantial cost in training and also to reduce pilot risk during training . The simulator is designed to expose the trainee to different weather conditions like snow , rain , storm and different terrains in addition to night flying training in handling emergencies , tactical handling of the flying machine , its different maneuvers and more . The project to install a simulator was proposed in December 2000 and approved in April 2002 , with CATS Nashik chosen as the centre for installation . Macmet Technologies Ltd , which won the bid over Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL ) , completed the project by 2005 at a cost of Rs 16 . 26 crore . After stringent checks , the facility was accepted by the army in December 2005 . Future . The army is currently evaluating helicopters from Kamov , Eurocopter and AgustaWestland for the 197 light helicopter contract for lifting supplies for the troops stationed at high altitudes . The $ 750 million deal for the 197 helicopters for the defence forces aims to replace the aging 1970s vintage Chetak and Cheetah helicopters and will be for high altitude , surveillance and logistics . The successful bidder will provide 60 helicopters in a flyaway condition , while the remaining 137 aircraft will be licence - produced by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited ( HAL ) . Under the offsets clause , the winning bidder must also invest at least 30 % of the contracted cost in India . The army is also planning to acquire HAL Light Combat Helicopter , which is under development by the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited to meet its requirements for an attack helicopter which can operate at high altitude ( 16 , 300 feet ) to fit into an anti - armour and anti - infantry role . Army is also planning to acquire a 3 - tonne single - engine HAL Light Observation Helicopter which is also under development for recce and observation role . As of 2007 the Army Aviation Corps modernisation plans were : Other future acquisition plans are :