Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) manufactured over 300 Aérospatiale SE.316B/C Alouette III helicopters under licence, under the designation Chetak. The majority of these were acquired by India’s armed forces, including the Indian Navy, which equipped the INAS with them. Together with Sea Kings, a handful of these – all operated by INAS 321 – played a crucial role in tracking down and assaulting ships used by the LTTE for its attack on the Maldives. As far as is known, all were painted in dark blue overall, wore national markings and white serials on the rear of the hull, and service titles in white on the boom. Most of INAS 321’s Chetaks were equipped with rescue winches but could also be armed with machine guns or torpedoes, and frequently had the left cabin doors removed for easier access. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)