Army officials have said that two pilots of an Army helicopter were injured when their craft made a hard landing in foothills west of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Colorado Springs Gazette has reported that the crash happened at 1:30 a. m. Wednesday as the pilots took part in high-altitude training, including flying night-vision missions, to prepare for operations in Afghanistan.

The newspaper has said that the two pilots suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were treated at a local hospital.

The helicopter is part of the 10th Mountain Division's 10th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Drum, N. Y., training at Colorado's Fort Carson, the Army has said.

According to the Gazette, Army aviation units train pilots and flight crews at Fort Carson because of its mountainous terrain.

It has also been reported that the brigade is expected to deploy to Afghanistan in August. (With Inputs from Agencies)