New Delhi: The US military has grounded its entire fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters following an engine fire incident on Wednesday (August 31). In March 2019, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had also purchased these attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing.
With the US military grounding its entire Chinook fleet, concerns have arisen about the future of those copters as well. According to an NDTV report, the Chinook copters inducted into the Indian Army are still functioning normally. No problem found. However, as to why the US Army has deployed its entire fleet of Chinook copters, the Indian Air Force has sought details from Boeing.
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The Indian Air Force (IAF) is also worried after the US deploys its Chinook fleet. In March 2019, 15 Boeing Chinook copters were inducted into the Indian Army. It operates a branch from Chandigarh, from where flights are operated to various parts of North India. Another branch is deployed in Assam. They are responsible for ensuring the security of Northeast India. These helicopters are the main means of airlift in high mountain areas like Ladakh and Siachen glacier.
After the deployment of the Chinook helicopters by the US forces, questions have also been raised about the safety of the Chinooks in the hands of the Indian forces.
However, according to a report by news agency ANI, Indian Air Force officials said, “The Chinook helicopter fleet of the Indian Air Force is still operational. From the Indian side, details have been sought as to why the entire fleet of Chinook helicopters of the US Army was grounded.”
In March 2019, the Indian Air Force (IAF) had purchased these attack helicopters manufactured by Boeing.
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The iconic Chinook helicopters accompanied the US military from the Vietnam War to the Iraq War. In all, there were a total of 400 armed Chinook copters in the US military. This action was taken by the US Army due to the fire incident in the engine.
According to the news agency AFP, according to the engine-maker Honeywell, there is a problem with the O-rings of the Chinook copters. This O-ring is much like a pressure cooker gasket. This O-ring is installed to prevent any liquid or gas from leaking. As it was not working properly, there was a fire in the engine. Although there were no casualties, the US military said the Chinook helicopters were deployed as a precautionary measure.
However, the Honeywell company refuses to take responsibility for the problem of these O-rings. They also gave no details on where they were made, who put them on the engine, or where they were made, AFP news agency reported.
“The US Army and Honeywell have verified that none of the suspected O-rings were manufactured by Honeywell or were part of a Honeywell-manufactured engine,” the company said.
But where did those defective O-rings come from? This question has not been answered yet.
