Army, IAF ground 280 Cheetah and Chetak choppers for safety checks

December 07, 2016 08:44

Hindustan Times reports: The army and air force have grounded their ageing fleets of light-utility helicopters, concerned if the machines were fit to fly after three army aviators were killed in a crash in West Bengal a week ago.

More than 280 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters, lifeline of troops in high-altitude areas including Siachen glacier, would fly only after Hindustan Aeronautics Limited would carry out a comprehensive safety check of each of the machines, a defence ministry official told HT.

The design of the helicopters is more than 50 years old and their airworthiness is being questioned after a string of mishaps in recent years.

The unavailability of these choppers could hamper operations in forward areas. "The HAL will clear the choppers in batches. It is not as if the entire fleet will be unavailable for a long time," an IAF officer said.

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