NEW DELHI — An Indian air force (IAF) helicopter on a rescue mission in the hilly terrain of the flood-ravaged Uttarakhand state in northern India crashed on June 25, killing at least eight people. The newly acquired Mi-17 V5 helicopter was one of 45 aircraft pressed into service by the IAF to evacuate victims of the flash flood, which has killed more than 1,000 people and displaced more than 50,000.

NEW DELHI — India is expected to expedite the purchase of six additional C-130J airlifters and 15 Boeing Chinook CH-47F tandem-rotor helicopters, in the wake of flooding and landslides that have highlighted the need for such assets. “The ongoing rescue efforts in northern India, where at least 9,400 people remain stranded following floods and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains, have emphasized the need for more of such aircraft and heavy-lift helos,” an Indian air force official says.

NEW DELHI — India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. (HAL) has joined with French aerospace company Sagem to manufacture automatic flight-control systems and sensors. HAL entered into a contract with Sagem, a unit of the Safran Group, at the Paris air show. The pact involves technology transfer to set up the production facility for the systems and sensors at its Hyderabad division in southern India, a HAL spokesman says.