Also do note the mention of "
inter-valley transfer of troops" in various reports of Chinooks.
If you look at Arunachal and Uttarakhand etc, you will notice that the valleys and our roads move only in north south directions. So the east-west connection between various sectors is usually absent. So troops in one sector cant help in other lateral sectors.
Hence chinooks to be used to transfer troops and arty from one valley to other. M777 can be hauled only by chinook and Mi-17 it seems. Hence the package deal of Chinook + M777
So see Chinooks in terms of this capability, not just the usual rhetoric of "Mi-26 can carry more load". The fat ass Mi-26 aint the helicopter for tactical purpose IMH(layman)O