CHINOOK HC2

The Chinook is a tandem-rotored, twin engined medium-lift helicopter and first entered service with the RAF in 1982. It has a crew of four (pilot, navigator and 2 x crewmen) and is capable of carrying 54 fully equipped troops or a variety of heavy loads up to approximately 10 tons.

The triple hook system allows greater flexibility in load carrying and enables some loads to be carried faster and with greater stability.
 

In the ferry configuration with internally mounted fuel tanks, the Chinook's range is over 1,600 km (1,000 miles). In the medical evacuation role the aircraft can carry 24 stretchers.

RAF Chinook aircraft were upgraded to the HC2 standard between 1993-1996 for some £145 million. The HC2 upgrade modified the RAF Chinooks to the US CH 47D standard. New equipment included infra red jammers, missile approach warning indicators, chaff and flare dispensers, a long-range fuel system, and machine gun mountings. In 1995, the UK MoD purchased a further 14 x Chinooks (6 x HC2 and 8 x HC2a – now Mk3) for £240 million.

This is a rugged and reliable aircraft. During the Falklands War reports suggest that, at one stage, 80 fully equipped troops were carried in one lift and, during a Gulf War mission, a single Chinook carried 110 Iraqi POWs. The Chinook mid-life update will significantly enhance the RAF's ability to support the land forces during the next 25 years.

Analysts suggest that since 1 April 1990, the RAF Chinook fleet has flown some 60,000 hours during which time the operating costs (personnel, fuel and maintenance) have been £310 million, a figure that results in a cost of about £5,200 per flying hour.

During 2003 the Chinook Night Enhancement Package (NEP) was installed in the HC2 fleet. The NEP was based upon experience gained during operations in Afghanistan in 2001 and allows Chinook aircraft to operate at night and in very low-light conditions, often at the limit of their capabilities.

HC2 aircraft are due to be phased out during 2015 and HC2A aircraft in 2025.

A £62 million contract with Boeing to convert eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters to a support helicopter role was announced by the Ministry of Defence in December 2007. The first helicopters are expected to be operational in Afghanistan in 2010.

By late 2009 we believe that the total RAF Chinook fleet will number 37 aircraft (8 x Mk 3 and 29 x HC2 types).

In service with:

All the above aircraft are under the control of the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC).

Photos Copyright Alasdair Taylor