Guwahati: The chief executive of Boeing India on Thursday stated that the Chinooks deployed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) are flawless and trouble-free.
The US Army decided to stop its entire fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters due to a risk of engine fires, prompting the IAF to inquire about the situation.
“IAF contacted our engineers after incidents were reported in the US,” said Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, to ANI. “We have been informed that there is no impact on the helicopter operated by the Indian forces.”
Salil Gupte, President of Boeing India told ANI, “IAF contacted our engineers after incidents were reported in the US and have been informed that there is no impact on the helicopter operated by the Indian forces.”
US Army authorities were quoted by the Wall Street Journal as saying that they were aware of a small number of engine fires in the helicopters but that no one had ever been hurt or killed as a result of the accidents.
The IAF had asked the US-based defence company for information regarding the causes behind the grounding of the entire fleet of Chinook helicopters used by the US Army. It should be noted that the IAF flies 15 Chinook helicopters produced by Boeing that were purchased from the US. Induction into service took place in March 2019.
Government representatives were quoted by ANI as saying, “The Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter fleet is still operating,” in reference to the grounding of the complete Chinook fleet of the American military. India has requested information on the circumstances surrounding the grounding of the whole fleet of US Army Chinook CH-47 helicopters due to a potential engine fire.
In order to conduct operations in the north, one unit of the Indian Air Force’s Chinook helicopter fleet is based in Chandigarh, while a second unit is situated in Assam to conduct operations in the northeastern territories.