With India’s sole heavyweight chopper Mi26 just 100 hours away from completing its set flying hours, Vayu Bhawan is facing an emergency, but the Ministry of Defence (MoD) isn’t listening. When IAF’s ‘Bheem’, the Russian-made Mi26, loses operation ability it will affect India’s ability to lift and drop heavy load in the form of missiles, artillery, combat-ready troops and road building equipment at rugged locations.
After the completion of the set number of flying hours, the machinery cannot operate unless a life revision is done — a process that takes a minimum of six months.
The Mi26 can only be replaced by the grounded fleet or by the recently ordered American Chinook choppers and neither is likely to materialise anytime soon.
An alarmed IAF has, to preserve the remaining flying hours for cases of emergency, decided to cease training flights on the Mi26.
“Flying will be carried out only in extreme cases of requirement and as for our trainees, we will have to send them abroad,” a source said.
The IAF was one of the earliest buyers of the Mi26 when it was launched in the early 80’s acquiring four choppers between 1986 and 1989.
These lifted bridges, crashed planes, artillery etc to distant locations in the north eastern and the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir.
After one crashed in the technical area of the Jammu airport, the remaining three kept working as part of the Chandigarh-based 126 Helicopter Flight ‘Feather Weights’.
“Since 2013, when the operational life of two choppers which came in 1986 ended, efforts have been made to give them extended life through an overhaul. But that is yet to happen,” said a source.
Insiders say the IAF was hopeful of it happening by early 2015. The remaining chopper has been doing all the work over the last two years.
“The Russians are demanding too much money. It is very difficult to justify,” is all a top source would reveal when asked for reason behind the delay.
In October 2012 the MoD had decided to purchase 15 Chinook CH47F choppers to replace the Mi26 but the contract was signed only in September this year.
India cannot solve this problem by itself.
“Experts will have to come in from the side of the equipment manufacturers (Russia), make the choppers airworthy so that they can fly to their destination for overhaul. The Mi26 is too large to be put inside an aircraft and be ferried,” explained Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd)
IAF’s Bheem loses operational capacity as MoD fails to act Mail on Facebook
Indian Army/AF is the worst planner among the three forces some time I really wish if can kick some MOD & IAF/IA officials especially some of those I am THE GOD attitude IAS officers
After the completion of the set number of flying hours, the machinery cannot operate unless a life revision is done — a process that takes a minimum of six months.
The Mi26 can only be replaced by the grounded fleet or by the recently ordered American Chinook choppers and neither is likely to materialise anytime soon.
An alarmed IAF has, to preserve the remaining flying hours for cases of emergency, decided to cease training flights on the Mi26.
“Flying will be carried out only in extreme cases of requirement and as for our trainees, we will have to send them abroad,” a source said.
The IAF was one of the earliest buyers of the Mi26 when it was launched in the early 80’s acquiring four choppers between 1986 and 1989.
These lifted bridges, crashed planes, artillery etc to distant locations in the north eastern and the upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir.
After one crashed in the technical area of the Jammu airport, the remaining three kept working as part of the Chandigarh-based 126 Helicopter Flight ‘Feather Weights’.
“Since 2013, when the operational life of two choppers which came in 1986 ended, efforts have been made to give them extended life through an overhaul. But that is yet to happen,” said a source.
Insiders say the IAF was hopeful of it happening by early 2015. The remaining chopper has been doing all the work over the last two years.
“The Russians are demanding too much money. It is very difficult to justify,” is all a top source would reveal when asked for reason behind the delay.
In October 2012 the MoD had decided to purchase 15 Chinook CH47F choppers to replace the Mi26 but the contract was signed only in September this year.
India cannot solve this problem by itself.
“Experts will have to come in from the side of the equipment manufacturers (Russia), make the choppers airworthy so that they can fly to their destination for overhaul. The Mi26 is too large to be put inside an aircraft and be ferried,” explained Air Vice Marshal Manmohan Bahadur (Retd)
IAF’s Bheem loses operational capacity as MoD fails to act Mail on Facebook
Indian Army/AF is the worst planner among the three forces some time I really wish if can kick some MOD & IAF/IA officials especially some of those I am THE GOD attitude IAS officers
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