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Three more helicopters were added to the fleet of the Afghan Air Force (AAF) with the completion of delivery of three multi-role helicopters from India.
According to reports, the multi-role Cheetal helicopters were formally added to the fleet of the AAF after they were test flown on 15th April.
The allied equipment and speares of the helicopters were also delivered to the Afghan Air Force.
According to the Indian newspapers, the Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh, in a written reply, told Lok Sabha, “The helicopters were dispatched to Afghanistan on April 9. These helicopters have been test flown and accepted by Afghanistan pilots on April 15.”
Mr. Singh quoted in the reports further added that the three Cheetal helicopters were based on an agreement with the Ministry of External Affairs.
Cheetals are the upgraded version of Cheetah light utility, multi-role helicopters built by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
Cheetal helicopter is equipped with a Turbomeca TM 333-2M2 free turbine turboshaft engine. Compared to the 560 km of the Cheetah helicopter, Cheetal has a range of about 640 km.
Cheetal also provides a higher payload capacity of 90 kg, compared to the 50 kg of Cheetah.
The helicopters can be used for personnel transport, evacuation, reconnaissance and aerial survey. It is also capable of operating in the high-altitude areas.
source: khaama press
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