The Indian Air Force Monday commissioned the first four battle-hardened Chinook heavy lift helicopters into its fleet, providing a huge boost to the strategic airlift capability of the Indian military along the borders with Pakistan and China.
The four CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopters, part of the 15 contracted by India from US firm Boeing in September 2015 for over Rs 8,000 crore, were commissioned into the IAF’s 126 Helicopter Unit, nicknamed ‘Featherweights’, at Chandigarh.
‘The Chinooks are a huge capability enhancement for the forces since they can carry not just troops but also artillery guns and even light armoured vehicles to high altitudes, which makes a lot of difference to the capability along the northern borders,’ a top official of the IAF said.
With an underslung load capacity of 10 tonnes, the Chinooks will also come handy in the delayed construction of strategic roads and infrastructure projects on the border, especially in the northeast. The main challenge was the access and want of heavy lift choppers to carry heavy equipment through narrow valleys.
India currently operates four Mi-26 choppers, bought from Russia in the 1980s, but their maintenance has been an issue. Of the four, only one is operational. The choppers will now undergo extensive overhaul and repair in Russia and will continue to serve the IAF.
Post Your Comments