Chinook In Action During Ex Yudh Abhyas, An Annual Joint Exercise
During exercise, Yudh Abhyas IAF Chinook has extensively participated. Yudh Abhyas exercise between the Indian Army and The US Army aims to enhance cooperation and interoperability in counter-terrorism operations.
Yudh Abhyas, which comes after India conducted the 24th edition of the top-notch `Malabar’ naval exercise with the other Quad countries (US, Japan and Australia) in November, will be followed by the ‘Vajra Prahar’ land combat exercise in March.
IAF Chinook
On 25 March 2019, the IAF formally inducted the CH 47 F(I)- Chinook heavy-lift helicopters into its inventory at Air Force Station Chandigarh. Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, Chief of the Air Staff was the Chief Guest and the event was attended by various dignitaries.
IAF had signed a contract with M/s Boeing Ltd in September 2015 for 15 Chinook helicopters. The first batch of four helicopters has been delivered on schedule and the last batch is to be delivered by March next year. These helicopters will be deployed in the Northern and Eastern regions of India.
The addition of heavy-lift CH 47 F(I) helicopter is a significant step towards modernisation of Indian Air Force’s helicopter fleet. The helicopter has been customized to suit IAF’s future requirements and capability roadmap. The helicopter has a fully integrated digital cockpit management system, advanced cargo handling capabilities and electronic warfare suite that complement the aircraft’s performance. The helicopter is capable of airlifting diverse military and non-military loads into remote locations.
