Originally promised by India back in August 2009, the Maldivian government has this week taken delivery of a HAL Dhruv for their National Defence Force.  Although resplendent with MNDF titles and national flag, the helicopter carries the Indian military serial “CG852” which allows HeliHub.com to trace its history back to the Indian Coast Guard Evaluation Unit.  The aircraft arrived in country last Friday 16th, and the official handover ceremony took place at Henveiru Park in the capital Male on Wednesday.

In a joint statement issued after Indian Defence Minister AK Anthony’s visit to Maldives in August, the Maldives government and Indian High Commission said India would provide a helicopter and assistance to establish a 25-bed military hospital in Male.

The assistance will improve MNDF’s search and rescue capacity, the statement read.