The Asian Age

Chinook copters arrive from US

4 helicopter­s reach Gujarat port, to be deployed in Chandigarh

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In what will boost India’s airlift capability during combat missions, the first batch of four Chinook military helicopter­s for the Indian Air Force arrived at the Mundra Port in Gujarat on Sunday.

These are one of the most modern heavy- lift choppers in the world. Its primary mission is to move troops, artillery, ammunition, barrier materials, supplies, and equipment on the battlefiel­d.

At present, India has been using the Soviet- origin Mi- 26s for the missions. India had finalised a mega contract with Boeing to procure 22 Apache helicopter­s and 15 Chinooks for the Indian Air Force in September 2015. The rest 11 Chinooks are expected to be delivered later this year.

The CH47F ( I) Chinooks will be ferried to Chandigarh, where they will be formally inducted into the Indian Air Force later this year. Last month, a handover ceremony of Chinooks to India was held at Philadelph­ia in USA.

Chinook helicopter­s have been used by the US Army service since 1962 and were also deployed in Vietnam.

The CH- 47F Chinook helicopter has been certified combat- ready by the US Army and fielded to the first operationa­l unit in July 2007. A central element in the Gulf War, they continue to be the standard for the US Army in the global campaign against terrorism. Since its introducti­on 1,179 Chinooks have been built.

It is capable of handling useful loads up to 24,000 lbs ( 10, 886 kg) and a maximum gross weight of up to 50,000 lbs ( 22,668 kg). It can reach a maximum speed of 315 km per hour.

Its tandem rotor configurat­ion also provides exceptiona­l handling qualities, which enable the CH- 47 to operate in climatic, altitude, and crosswind conditions that typically keep other helicopter­s from flying.

These can also be used for humanitari­an and disaster relief operations and in missions such as transporta­tion of relief supplies and mass evacuation of refugees.

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