THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the backdrop of the latest helicopter crash near Coonoor, which claimed 13 lives including that of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, questions are set to be raised again over the flight-worthiness of some of the Indian Air Force aircraft.
For some time, experts have been demanding the replacement of the ageing fleet of choppers, like Cheetah and Chetak, with new Light Utility Helicopters after a string of crashes.
During the past 10 years, around 15 Cheetah and Chetak helicopters have crashed killing several pilots. General Rawat, then a lieutenant general, had survived a Cheetah crash in Dimapur on February 3, 2015.
