Chinooks more than proved their worth in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and there had been many calls for more to be procured. The order itself was placed in , and announced by the then Defence Secretary Liam Fox following a period of intense criticism of the MoD for the strategic defence review which made significant cuts to the military's budget.
The announcement was an opportunity to deliver some good news, as well as ensure the continuation of a significant capability which is of enduring use to all three services well into the future, whether carrying out military operations, peacekeeping or humanitarian tasks.
Even as British combat forces enter their final months in Afghanistan, the need for the right equipment for all the armed forces in the coming years remains vital. All three services need to remain ready for whatever conflict they may be called on to intervene in at short notice, and assets such as Chinooks are among the most useful military assets for transporting troops and equipment to wherever they may be needed in the years to come.
He added: "It brings levels of accuracy to things like the hover, at night, in the desert, in the snow and over water, which the earlier crews could only have wished for. The UK's Chinook fleet is now the largest in Europe. By early , 3 CH Mk6 helicopters are slated to be ready for operational deployment, and delivery of all 14 helicopters is expected to finish by the end of The RAF intends to have all 14 operational by early , bringing their total Chinook fleet to 60 barring further losses.
UK MoD Boeing. We will buy 12 additional heavy lift Chinook helicopters. We will extend the life of the Puma helicopter to ensure that sufficient helicopters are available for our forces in Afghanistan. The Merlin force will be upgraded to enhance its ability to support amphibious operations. Taken together with the continued introduction of the Wildcat helicopters for reconnaissance and command and control purposes, this programme will deliver a properly scaled and balanced helicopter force to support our troops into the future.
Note that this is not a formal contract yet. Reportedly not the Danish aircraft. DID's daily email newsletter keeps you abreast of contract developments, pictures, and data, put in the context of their underlying political, business, and technical drivers.
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Puma HC1 click to view full. RAF CH w. BvS10, Afghanistan click to view full. Sea King Mk4 click to view full. Not cheap. Engines - Aircraft. Equipment - Other. Heavy Bombers. Protective Systems - Aircraft. Specialty Aircraft. Electronics - General.
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In a perverse way, cutting … Read more ». I will bet my pension on it and say that Airbus will never, ever involve itself in a programme like AM again. If it was cost-plus maybe. But not at risk to the company. And Hermes, stop knocking the AM. There are enough knockers out there already.
SR as you allayed to earlier, you have a lot of insider information on the AM and the workings of Airbus. So a multi-country collaboration is I think the only way to go, when the requirement to replace the C17 comes around. Having stood on a sand dune in Wales and watched the Am land on the beach in front of me was an epic occasion.
I to believe the AM is undervalued, but then it has big shoes to fill. In … Read more ». C is a brilliant aircraft. The RAF is lucky. When we seriously looked at certifying the An for use by the West we rapidly came to the conclusion it was a non-starter. They are not bad aeroplanes, but the design and maintenance philosophies are just totally different. Boeing did approach Airbus with a view to jointly market the C and AM, more as a political ploy to kill the CJ and the Marietta plant.
Airbus never even considered it as we knew that if we were ever to sell AM to the … Read more ». I dont said anything about the AM. A strategic plane with a tons capability with a good range is something we need.
It was so important at a time that the refit of the A to a cargo like the C5 was on the table, despite the huge cost…. Secondly the A has no front or rear ramps for loading. I seriously doubt Airbus is considering developing a heavy lift military cargo, just like the development of a heavy lift helicopter never went … Read more ». From an economic view, at least. I tend to agree with you, homegrown is a better option where possible!
The AW is a very good example of this! It would be an investment in UK skills, UK design and manufacturing, and UK intellectual property, which would support thousands of jobs, boost exports, and help towards reversing the damage caused by … Read more ». Unless they can match the price of Blackhawk, I doubt the AW will win. As the US Army has so many and is still buying them. It would be far cheaper to tag on to the next US Army buy. Sadly, I think cost will be the deciding factor.
Not so fast on the draw DaveyB……. The economic boost to aircraft manufacturing in the West Country and the offset spending ploughed back into the local economy, might be too big for Boris to ignore. AW is the obvious answer for the political scenario post-covid! True, but the MoD was a quick and cheap interim solution. They are hedging their bets and waiting to see who wins the US Army future medium lift program. Due to the wider world use and surplus of spares. Plus they have a window dedicated for a gunner leaving the side door unobstructed.
Personally, I hope the AW wins for the reasons I mentioned above. But nothing would surprise me! The next generation of Spear missiles could be added at a later date no doubt? Weapons Outrigger pylons can carry seven, 12 or tube 70mm and 81mm rocket launchers, air-to-air missiles, and air-to-ground missiles.
The cabin can be fitted with window-mounted 7. The helicopter is … Read more ». It was an idea but development costs and the structural reinforcement needed to transform the A into a C5-like is too important. Without the tactical capabilities of the AM. In fact, simply a new generation of C17, slightly bigger up to tons , but from … Read more ». Not just the engine.
The whole propulsion unit was a real challenge. Propeller, gear box and engine as well as nacelle design and packaging. The props are huge and these babies are 11K shp each! It had never been done before in the West. A tarmac to tarmac strategic airlifter with no pretence at tactical capabilities would employ simple turbofans with an easy nacelle to wing interface and be certified to civil certification standards.
But the order numbers unless the US was involved would not justify the development costs. I like the stats of the old An For comparison, AM, 4x 10, shp turboprops, cargo hold It would look like a scaled up AM but with those cargo specs from the An If you buy a real heavy cargo, you want him to be able to be really interesting.
So, 80 tons for a next gen strategic cargo, is the minimum to expect. Every time you increase the size, you reduce the number of customer nations. My conservative guess is that a 60 ton military transport would sell on its first production run, at least aircraft. An 80 ton transport would struggle to sell half of that number, at least at first.
Some stuff are build to respond of the needs, not to being a commercial success. Very good news, and a true work horse. I had a very pleasant experience in the back of a Chinook. Little did we know, that the flight also included being served up a French breakfast from the very friendly Sgt aircrew men, and a glass of bucks fizz while hovering over the coordinates of the equator!.
We then flew … Read more ». Good times. I remember reading about this on here a few yeasrs ago. Good news, new chinooks the Defiant was mentioned in other articles to possibly replace the chinook in the future. However, there has been some recent news of a new development from Airbus, that builds on the technology of their X3 demonstrator. The X3 compound helicopter technology will surpass the speed of the Sikorsky Defiant, but still be potentially … Read more ».
That may be no bad thing IMV, if they both continue to dominate WW commercial vertical lift sales, which are much larger, more diversified and more commercially viable markets than the dedicated military platform markets. I know they are amazing and very usable machines but…. Its aircraft like the Chinook and C17 that give us a logistical edge over all peer European powers and enable us to fight wherever and whenever. Best heavy lift platform imo. Much cheaper than the Stallion and can also fly at higher altitudes was usefull in Afghanistan Anyone know what is the difference between the G vs ER versions?
The G is the spec ops version. The ER is just a standard model F with fat tanks. Much like the current Mk5s. They were standard model Ds, but had fat tanks fitted. Therefore a certain community get what they wanted in the first place. There are a lot of rumors going round, that it plus another couple will be kept for museums.
The rest are likely to go on the market. Even though these airframes are nearly 40 years they have been maintained very well and kept relatively up to date avionics wise. So although the RAF fly the pants off them, another country can still make good use of them. For once, I am glad of the delay. The excessive vibration from the new blades. The possibility of more powerful engines in a couple of years. What sort of extra range are we talking from the ER version? Just under miles-ish, depends on the winds, so around miles combat range.
By delaying the purchase the cost is increased, but not posted until a later year. Typical MoD bean-counter logic. Sign in. Log into your account. Privacy Policy. Password recovery. Forgot your password? Get help.
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