Washington: The US Army has grounded its entire fleet of Chinook helicopters. The US Air Force has banned its entire fleet from flying due to the danger of fire in the engine of the Chinook helicopter.
According to the media report, such a step has been taken in view of caution. There have been several incidents of engine fire in the recent past. The US Army has grounded its entire fleet of Chinook helicopters, which have been working in war since the 1960s.
Why was the Chinook Helicopters fleet grounded?
The US Army Material Command removed Chinook helicopters from the fleet in view of the engine fire incident. According to US military officials, there have been incidents of fire in the engines of more than 70 Chinook helicopters in recent days. Officials said that the US military was aware of the number of incidents of engine fires on helicopters recently. However, there were no injuries or deaths in the incidents.
400 helicopters in the US Army fleet
The Army officials said the grounding of heavy-duty Chinook helicopters could present logistical challenges for US troops, depending on how long the order lasts. There are about 400 such helicopters in the US Army fleet. India’s concern has also increased amid incidents of helicopter engine fire.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) has sought details from American defence manufacturer Boeing about the reasons behind the grounding of the US Army’s entire fleet of Chinook helicopters.
How many Chinook helicopters does India have?
India had acquired a fleet of 15 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters. In the past few years, it has been involved in major military equipment for airlift operations to assist the Indian Army deployed in places like Ladakh and Siachen Glaciers. India received its first batch of Chinook helicopters in February 2019. Boeing completed the delivery of 15 Chinook helicopters to the Indian Air Force in 2020.