Chinooks used by IAF do not have any problems: Boeing India Prez

New Delhi: Chinooks used by the Indian Air Force (IAF) are ‘absolutely fine’ and do not have any problems, the top executive at Boeing India said on Thursday, after the US Army grounded its fleet of CH-47 helicopters because of a risk of engine fires. “IAF contacted our engineers after incidents were reported in the US and have been informed that there is no impact on the helicopter operated by the Indian forces,” Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India, said in an exclusive interview with ANI.

As per reports from the US media, the US military grounded its fleet of CH-47 Chinook helicopters after engine fires were reported from some of them. Wall Street Journal quoted US Army officials stating that they were aware of a small number of engine fires with the helicopters, and the incidents didn’t result in any injuries or deaths. The IAF sought details from Americanbased defence manufacturer Boeing on Wednesday about the reasons behind the grounding of the US Army’s entire fleet. The IAF operates its fleet of 15 of Boeingmade Chinook helicopters which were acquired from the US and inducted into the service in March 2019.