New Delhi: The Mi-17V-5 helicopters are extremely reliable and are the workhorses of the Air Force, several former army officers told NDTV after one of these choppers crashed in Tamil Nadu, with Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat, his wife and several staff members on board. The crash has perplexed the experts, who said the flight from Sulur to Wellington did not involve complications.
Four people are dead and another four who survived, have been taken to a hospital. It is believed that there were 14 people on board, including the chopper's crew and passengers.
The Indian Air Force has already ordered an inquiry into the crash.
The Mi-17V-5 is the latest twin-engine iteration of the Russian-made Mi-17 transport helicopter and is used regularly for high-altitude operations. One of the most advanced military transports that can be used in any topography and weather, it is one of the most powerful choppers used by Indian defence forces.
India owns a fairly large fleet of these helicopters that were purchased and inducted between 2013 and 2018.
Most experts NDTV spoke to described it as a "very reliable, safe, stable, and large" helicopter that is also used to ferry VIPs, including the President and the Prime Minister.
According to information available on the website of Rosoboronexport -- the Russian arms supplier -- the chopper is designed to "carry personnel, cargo and equipment inside the cargo cabin or on an external sling, drop tactical air assault forces and reconnaissance and sabotage groups, destroy ground targets and carry the wounded".
"Its armament system includes unguided rockets (up to 80 S-8 80mm unguided aerial rockets), cannons (suspended pods with 23mm cannons and 250 rounds each) and small arms," the website says.
08/12/21 NDTV
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