The American twin-engine heavy-lift helicopter is inducted by Indian Air Force on Monday in Chandigarh Air Force Base. Salil Gupte, head of Boeing India passed the key to Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa. Air Officer Commanding in Chief, Air Marshall and other senior IAF staff where few of the many who attended the ceremony.
IAF chief said that they faced a lot of security challenges to transport machinery and deploy troops in varied topography and signing these helicopters could be a game changer for IAF.
The Vertol designed Chinook was signed by India in September 2015. The staggering 1.5 billion USD deal includes 15 Chinook helicopters code-named by CH-47F(I).
#Chinook : Induction – 25 Mar 19 –
IAF received its first CH-47F (I) Chinook heavy-lift helicopter on 10 Feb 19 at the Mundra port in Gujarat. On 25 Mar 19, it will be formally inducted into the Helicopter fleet of IAF at Chandigarh.
Photo Courtesy – Boeing India pic.twitter.com/hCfRzGmlmY— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 25, 2019
Four of the fifteen had arrived from the US at Gujarat’s Mundra Port last month and they later were transported to Chandigarh.
Later 11 tandem rotor helicopters are decided to be deployed at Dinjan airfield in Assam. The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters.
IAF would utilize it to deploy troops at higher altitude, do transport related missions and aid for the military operations there. Apart from these, these choppers are expected to utilize for various rescue operations in difficult terrain.
The CH-47 can carry the cargo weighed up to 23 tons. India became the 19th country in the world to utilize this helicopter.
#Chinook: CH-47F (I) Chinook is an advanced multi-mission helicopter that will provide Indian Air Force with unmatched strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat & humanitarian missions.
Video Courtesy: @Boeing_In pic.twitter.com/5PFm1nCRQY
— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 23, 2019