New Delhi: A CH-47F (I) Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force today has set a record by completing a non-stop helicopter sortie in India, flying from Chandigarh to Jorhat (Assam).
The Boeing-made multi-mission helicopter, used extensively in the Ladakh sector amid the ongoing border row with China, flew a distance of 1,910 km in seven-and-a-half hours.
The sortie was possible because of the capabilities of the Chinook along with operational planning and execution by IAF, a defence spokesperson wrote on Twitter.
The helicopter used additional fuel tanks for the mission. The IAF variant of the helicopter does not have mid-air refuelling capability.
The Chinook provides the Indian armed forces with strategic airlift capability across the full spectrum of combat and humanitarian missions, the officials said. The chopper’s primary roles include moving artillery, battlefield resupply and transportation of troops.
In September 2015, India placed a $3.1-billion order for 15 Chinooks and 22 Apache attack helicopters to scale up the air force’s capabilities. All the platforms have been inducted.
Chinook helicopters can carry the army’s new M777 ultra-light howitzers as under-slung load for swift deployment in high-altitude areas. India ordered 145 howitzers from the US for $750 million in November 2016. Apart from M777s, the army has also deployed the K9 Vajra-T self-propelled artillery guns and the 155 mm FH 77 BO2 guns (better known as Bofors) in the Ladakh sector.