22 More RAF Chinooks for Afghan Ops

An announcement was made on December 15th 2009 concerning the supply of additional RAF Chinook helicopters to boost the deployed Afghan force.  22 new RAF Chinook heavy-lift helicopters are to be purchased in all, and these will start to equip the RAF from 2012 onwards.  The move will augment the present RAF Chinook fleet to reach a new total of 70 airframes, but the fact that the initial delivery is three years away intimates that operations in Afghanistan are set to continue for some time yet.

“Helicopter capability has already doubled in the last three years and this future strategy builds on this, ensuring that our armed forces have the very best resources at their disposal”, British Defence Secretary, Bob Ainsworth, said, announcing the RAF Chinook boost.

New RAF Chinooks

The new Chinooks will serve in Afghanistan alongside RAF Merlin transport helicopters, examples of which touched down on Afghan soil in November 2009.  Once in place, they will effectively take over from the elderly RAF and Royal Navy-operated Sea King helicopters, which can then be removed from service ahead of schedule.

News of the extra Chinooks came one day after Gordon Brown- the British Prime Minister – pledged £150m to go towards countering the threat of Afghan IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices), which have killed multiple UK service personnel over the past few years.

The Chinook has served the RAF since 1980, although the original Boeing design's maiden flight took place nineteen years earlier.  Its heavy-lifting capabilities make it one of the most useful types within the RAF's transport inventory - a capacious fuselage design allowing ten tons of cargo, or 55 troops, to be carried - while amongst its other roles is casualty evacuation.

The Chinook announcement preceded a major speech concerning a wider raft of UK armed forces changes, which are covered in a separate News Item.

See also:

New RAF Chinook Helicopter's First Flight