The US has been a major player in the Indian defence market since the beginning of the 21st century. However, military pundits have often raised suspicion about the reliability of American weapons in the country’s weather conditions. A recent incident seems to suggest that their objections were not without a reason.

With questions being raised in the US about the security-related issues of the Boeing-manufactured Apache attack helicopters, an emergency landing of the same chopper in India’s Ladakh sector appears to be a cause of worry in the South Asian country.

It is worth noting that while making the landing the Apache helicopter sustained damage and will now have to remain out of service for a prolonged time.

“An IAF Apache helicopter carried out a precautionary landing during an operational training sortie in Ladakh AOR on 03 April 24. During the process of this landing, it sustained damage due to undulating terrain and high altitude,” the IAF statement noted on Thursday.

The IAF operates a fleet of 22 Apache helicopters and these were primarily acquired to give a major boost to its operational capabilities in the mountainous regions of India’s northern and north-western sectors bordering China and Pakistan.

Boeing describes the Apache as the “world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter”, which is designed to operate in all weather conditions, including during night-time missions.

Nonetheless, the Apache getting hampered by weather conditions in Ladakh where strong wind is a factor, seems to prove Boeing wrong because the IAF confirmed that “high altitude and undulating terrain” was a factor in the helicopter’s emergency landing.

India’s Ladakh region is located approximately 13,500 feet above sea level and is widely believed to be one of the highest inhabited places in the world.

Moreover, the area predominantly consists of deep valleys and high mountain ranges, making it challenging even for the so-called best military machines on the planet.

Earlier this year, the American Army found itself in a tight spot after four of its Apache helicopters went down within a span of two months.

The most recent crash of an Apache chopper took place on March 27, when a helicopter belonging to the 4th Combat Aviation Brigade of the US Army crashed during a training sortie in Colorado.’