US grounds Chinook chopper fleet over engine fires, India seeks details
India Today
India received the first batch of Chinook helicopters in February 2019. Boeing completed the delivery of 15 Chinook helicopters to the Indian Air Force in 2020.
The US Army has grounded its entire fleet of Chinook helicopters, a battlefield workhorse since the 1960s, fearing the risk of engine fires, a media report said on Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story, said such an extreme step was taken out of abundance of caution.
Meanwhile, government officials in India told news agency ANI that they have sought details of the reasons, which have led to the grounding of the entire fleet of US Army’s Chinook CH-47 helicopters.
Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter fleet is still operational. India has sought details of the reasons which have led to the grounding of the entire fleet of US Army’s Chinook CH-47 helicopters because of a risk of engine fires: Government officials(File photo) pic.twitter.com/oUmEkOriab
India has about 15 CH-47 Chinook helicopters. Over the past few years, they have emerged as one of the major military tools for airlift operations in places such as Ladakh and Siachen glaciers to assist Indian forces deployed in these regions.
India received the first batch of Chinook helicopters in February 2019. Boeing completed the delivery of 15 Chinook helicopters to the Indian Air Force in 2020.
Officials told the Wall Street Journal the US Army was aware of a small number of engine fires in the helicopters, and the incidents didn't result in any injuries or deaths.
