(OTTAWA) A day after the U.S. military announced it was grounding its fleet of Chinook helicopters due to engine fires, the Department of National Defense confirmed that it is reviewing the situation to to check the status of the Canadian fleet.
Posted at 3:48 p.m.
The US military announced late Tuesday evening that it had decided to immobilize all of its Chinook aircraft – around 400 – since fuel leaks caused a “small number” of fires.
A U.S. military spokeswoman confirmed the source of the problem has already been identified and work is underway to fix the issue, which did not result in any injuries or fatalities.
Daniel Le Bouthillier, a spokesman for the Department of National Defence, pointed out that no fire linked to Chinook helicopters has been reported by the Royal Canadian Air Force, which has 15 of these aircraft.
Canada’s helicopters are still in service.
Mr. Le Bouthillier indicated that Canadian experts have nevertheless contacted the manufacturer of the aircraft, Boeing, as well as American officials to determine whether the same problem could affect Canadian helicopters.
Used to transport military personnel and equipment, Canadian Army Chinook helicopters have been deployed to respond to several natural disasters, in addition to assisting with emergency medical evacuations in Mali in 2018 and 2019.
With information from The Associated Press