From 1996 to 2006 the country was in civil war against Maoist rebels who strove to overthrow the constitutional monarchy and establish a republic . Their attacks increased since the massacre of the Royal Family in 2001 . This development led to the need for armed helicopters . Several types of aircraft have entered service since : MI-17s , M28 Skytruck , HAL Lancer and HAL Dhruv . The UK has delivered two Britten-Norman Islanders and two MI-17s free of charge . China decided to supply an MA-60 ( a Y-7 derivative ) . Nepal has also purchased HAL Cheetah and HAL Chetak helicopters
Royal Family
Nepalese royal massacre
Nepalese Army Air Service