A file picture of an Mi-17 helicopter |
Chandigarh, October 26
A severe hailstorm which hit Sarsawa airbase three days ago has caused
heavy damage to several IAF helicopters parked in the open, it is
learnt. This has resulted in the affected aircraft being unfit to fly,
thereby hitting operations.
Though the exact number of aircraft damaged is not known, sources place the figure at nine. The damaged aircraft are said to be the recently inducted Mi-17-1Vs. Located in western Uttar Pradesh, Sarsawa is home to two IAF helicopter units.
The sources in Western Air Command, of which Sarsawa is a part, said that the rotor blades of the aircraft had been severely damaged and there was no option but to replace them. Given the type and extent of damage to the blades, it was not technically feasible to carry out repairs.
“The skin of the rotors is very fragile and in many places it has been punctured by the hailstones, some of which were bigger than golf balls,” an officer said. Both the main rotors as well as tail rotors of the helicopters had been damaged, although the airframes, by and large, have not been affected.
The sources said that the hailstorm of this severity was unexpected. Interestingly, a few other aircraft belonging to a different establishment parked some distance away from the helicopters escaped any damage as, according to a source, “not a drop of rain” fell in that area.
A team of engineers and technicians from No.3 Base Repair Depot (BRD), which is responsible for the repair and maintenance of the Mi 8/17 series of helicopters, has been despatched to Sarsawa to carry out the repair task. The sources said that spare rotors and other equipment had being airlifted by IL-76 aircraft from Chandigarh.
While sources at 12 Wing here confirmed that IL-76 sorties were launched to airlift rotors to Sarsawa, officers at 3 BRD were not available to comment on the task at hand.
“We have set a deadline for the task to be completed and the aircraft to be flight-tested,” an officer said. “The affected helicopters will be back in use in a few days’ time,” he added.
