Champion Chinook helicopters equipped to save victims whatever the environment
THREE CH47 Chinooks being dispatched to help the aid efforts in Nepal are among 48 of the helicopters operated by the RAF, which has the secondlargest fleet after the US Army.
Chinook aircraft are versatile support helicopters, capable of operating in environments as diverse as the Arctic, desert and jungle.
They are usually used for troop carrying, resupply, battlefield casualty evacuation and carrying heavy cargo loads, both internally and slung underneath. A Chinook can carry up to 55 troops or 10 tonnes of freight.
A secondary role, for which they may well be used in Nepal, is search and rescue. Mark 3 Chinooks – the type being sent to Nepal – have long-range fuel tanks which greatly increase range and endurance.
The Chinook’s four-man crew consists of either two pilots – or a pilot and a weapon systems officer (WSO) – and two air loadmasters. The helicopter has two engines, is 99ft long, and has rotor blades of more than 60ft. It can cruise at an altitude of 15,000ft at up to 160 knots. It can also be heavily armed, with two M134 six-barrelled Miniguns, one in each front side window, and an M60D machine gun on the ramp.
It also has radar and a missileapproach warning system.
Chinook helicopters have been deployed on operations continuously since their introduction to the RAF in 1982.
They have been involved in most of the recent UK operations such as the Falklands War, Northern Ireland, the Gulf War, peace-keeping in Bosnia, Kosovo operations, evacuation of Sierra Leone, and operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In Afghanistan, the aircraft became known for its emergency response role, in which the rear of the aircraft could be used as an operating theatre.
Meanwhile, officials are struggling to locate 1,000 EU citizens who remain unaccounted for in Nepal, a week after the earthquake.
An EU official said most are thought to have been trekking near Mount Everest or in the remote Langtang mountains.