New Delhi, Jan 28 (PTI) The Andaman and Nicobar Command on Friday inducted indigenously developed advanced light helicopter MK III at Indian naval station Utkrosh in Port Blair, the Ministry of Defence said.

"The induction marks a continuing increase in the capabilities of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in the past two decades of its raising as India's only joint theatre command," the ministry said in a statement.

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The MK III helicopter is manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and represents a tremendous leap towards self-reliance in the field of military aircraft, in line with the government's push towards ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat', it said.

"Till date, over 300 of these aircraft have been delivered by HAL and are being flown by the armed forces," the statement noted.

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Amongst its variants, the MK III variant is a maritime role variant with state-of-the-art sensors and weapons, it mentioned.

The state-of-the-art aircraft has multirole capabilities, including maritime surveillance, support for special forces, medical evacuations besides search and rescue roles, the ministry added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)