US halts flight of 400 Chinook helicopters

 The US has banned the flight of about 400 Chinook helicopters. According to the Wall Street Journal, the US military has taken this decision in view of the possibility of engine fire. Meanwhile, India has sought a report from the US in this matter.

US military officials suspect some fault in the engines of Chinook helicopters. An officer said- There was information about fire in the engine of some helicopters. We inspected around 70 helicopters. After this, flight operations of the entire fleet of Chinook have been stopped.

Chinook helicopter is capable of flying at very high altitude. Its specialty is high speed.

India currently has 15 Chinooks,
the Indian Air Force has sought information from the US about the ban imposed on the flight of Chinook helicopters. Indian Air Force said- We have 15 Chinooks. Participate in all operations. Their flights have not been stopped in India. We have asked the American company the reason. It has also been asked whether it poses any threat to the Chinook Fleet of the Indian Air Force. The Fleet of the Indian Air Force is stationed at the Air Force Base in Chandigarh.

Chinook helicopters can carry heavy cargo to great heights with ease.

In September 2015, India had signed a deal of 15 Chinook helicopters with the US to increase the strength of the Air Force. The price was around $3.1 billion. Chinook is capable of carrying 11 tons of load and 45 soldiers with weapons.

Features of Chinook

• Chinook helicopters can accommodate 3 crew members – pilot, co-pilot, flight engineer or loadmaster. Its range is 740 KM.
• The speed of this 98 feet long helicopter is 315 KM per hour.
• It is 12.5 feet wide and 18.11 feet high.