#RAFChinook #Essex #RAFOdiham
RAF Chinnok over Essex November 2022
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.
In August 2019, a Chinook was instrumental in securing a dam on the Toddbrook Reservoir after it became structurally unsound following heavy rain.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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