The type will continue to play a key role in UK Defence activity, with the Chinook Sustainment Programme aiming to build on the platform’s success, recapitalising existing airframes and extending the capability out to 2040. The earlier Mk 4 Chinooks are being further upgraded to Mk 6A standard with the addition of DAFCS the final aircraft is expected to be completed early in 2021.
#EMERGENCY 4 LA MOD INSTALL YOU TUBE UPGRADE#
The Chinook HC.Mk 5 results from upgrade of the extended-range Mk 3, or ‘fat tank’ aircraft, which carries double the fuel load of a standard Chinook. The Mk 6 was acquired as a UK-specific variant of the CH-47F and also introduced a Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS, pronounced ‘daffics’), greatly enhancing handling and safety, particularly when operating in recirculating dust or snow conditions. The current operational Chinook fleet comprises Mk 4, Mk 5, Mk 6 and Mk 6A aircraft, fitted with digital glass cockpits to a common standard. In August 2019, a Chinook was instrumental in securing a dam on the Toddbrook Reservoir after it became structurally unsound following heavy rain.
In addition to its traditional warfighting roles, the Chinook’s lifting capability is held at readiness under the MACA commitment to respond to emergencies in the UK in recent years these have included resupplying snowbound farmers in Northern Ireland and moving tons of aggregate to help reconstruct flood defences damaged by winter storms. A Chinook crew comprises two pilots and two crewmen, supplemented by specialists dependent upon mission requirements. Secondary roles include search and rescue (SAR), and supporting a wide variety of specialist tasks, including the Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) commitment. It can carry up to 55 troops or up to approximately 10 tonnes of mixed cargo. With its triple-hook external load system, internal cargo winch, roller conveyor fit and large reserves of power, the aircraft can lift a wide variety of complex underslung or internal freight, including vehicles.
Chinooks are primarily used for trooping, resupply and battlefield casualty evacuation (casevac). The aircraft may be armed and is fitted with a suite of self-defence equipment allowing it to operate across the battlespace. The Chinook is an extremely capable and highly versatile support helicopter that can be operated from land bases or ships into a diverse range of environments, from the Arctic to the desert or jungle.
0 kommentar(er)
