Guwahati: The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday requested information from American defence contractor Boeing regarding the cause of the grounding of the whole fleet of Chinook helicopters used by the US Army.
The US-purchased Chinook helicopters, produced by Boeing, are used by the IAF in 15 fleets. Induction into service took place in March 2019.
ANI cited government representatives as saying, “The Indian Air Force’s Chinook helicopter fleet is still in service. India has requested information regarding the circumstances that led to the US Army’s entire fleet of Chinook CH-47 helicopters being grounded due to a risk of engine fires.
The US army reportedly grounded the whole fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters because of a potential of engine fires, according to sources in the local media.
The Wall Street Journal cited US Army officials as saying that they were aware of a few engine fires with the helicopters. They stated that no one was hurt or killed as a result of the incidents.
It should be mentioned that one unit of the Indian Chinook helicopter fleet is stationed in Assam to address problems in the northeastern states, while another unit is deployed in Chandigarh for operations in the north.