State-owned helicopter services operator Pawan Hans on Wednesday said it has secured a 10-year contract worth over Rs 2,000 crore to provide four helicopters to ONGC for transporting its personnel to off-shore duty locations.

Under the contract bagged through competitive global bidding, Pawan Hans will deploy four HAL-manufactured Dhruva NG helicopters for ONGC off-shore operations, the company said.

ONGC has issued the notification of award to Pawan Hans to provide these ultramodern Made-in-India helicopters, it said.

"The factory new helicopters from HAL would be deployed into offshore service (crew change) next year. The contract, valuing over Rs 2,141 crore, has been awarded for a period of 10 years," Pawan Hans Ltd said.

The indigenously built Dhruv NG is the civil variant of the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Mk III, which is currently in use by the Indian defence forces. These military helicopters have a proven track record, with more than 335 helicopters in operation to date, having logged over 375,000 cumulative flight hours, Pawan Hans said.

Pawan Hans has a fleet of 46 helicopters catering to Oil and Gas exploration, Police and Paramilitary forces, utility sector and providing air connectivity to remote regions and hilly tracts.

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