UK helicopters still parked at air force station awaiting Nepal clearance
Chinook heavy lift helicopters of the Royal Air Force (RAF) at Chandigarh air force station. (Source: Express photo)
The Chinook heavy lift helicopters of the Royal Air Force (RAF), sent by the United Kingdom to aid the earthquake relief effort in Nepal, continue to sit on the tarmac at the Chandigarh air force station where they were transported to from a base in UK.
It is learnt that the helicopters are unable to take part in the relief missions because the Nepal government has expressed reservations about the safety of houses nearby when these massive helicopters take off and land. The military authorities in Nepal have reportedly said that the fragile houses, in the aftermath of the earthquake, may not be able to resist the downwash of these twin rotor choppers.
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In the meantime, a team of RAF flight crew and technicians who have accompanied the three helicopters to Chandigarh are still in the city and have been put up at hotels. Buses have been hired to transport these personnel to the air force station and back.
The British Deputy High Commission in the city has refused to comment on the deployment of these helicopters. While a spokesperson for the Deputy High Commission confirmed that “assets have been deployed in India, including Chandigarh” no comments were offered beyond that citing an inability to give operational details.
In case the Nepalese government does not give the go-ahead for the use of these helicopters in Nepal, UK may face the embarrassing prospect of dismantling these helicopters and transporting them all the way back to the Brize Norton air base in UK from where they were sent in Antonov 124 aircrafts.
The three helicopters are a part of the 27 Squadron of RAF based in Odiham. These are the biggest helicopters in the NATO countries and are twin engined and tandem rotored. Incidentally the heaviest Russian heavy lift helicopter, the MI-26, which is part of the 126 ‘Featherweight’ Flight, is also based in air force station Chandigarh.
Source:: Indian Express