CHINOOK Mk6 UNVEILLING

[KPax]

With the unveilling of the Mk6 Chinook today is this a step forward for the SH force and the RAF, also what progress on the Merlin becoming Junglie.

[kintyred]

Interesting question KPax. No doubt the Mk 6 will bring additional capabilities in poor vis ops but some of the real show stoppers (poor icing clearance, low millilux operations) won't be addressed by the introduction of this new model. Interestingly there are some impressive developments that are available for helicopters (and Chinook in particular) that MOD have chosen not to buy. Goodness knows how MOD intends to employ 60 airframes. The total costed flying hours for the fleet in the future are unlikely to be as high as on current ops ....send for the mothballs!

[chinook240]

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/raf-contemplates-further-chinook-upgrade-as-hc6-variant-400454/

[Melchett01]

Kintyred,

Wasn't the thinking at one time that they might be direct replacements for the Merlins and that 28 & 78 would re-role?

[NutLoose]

What is a "features a machined monolithic airframe" ? Does that mean less nails in the structure... How comes a mk6 when we update as HC1 etc

[kintyred]

Melchett, that may well have been the case but ever since I joined the fleet many moons ago there have always been plans to reorganise or rebadge. The Army put up a case to have them in the AAC in the late 80s for example. As you may recall, the Merlin was a political buy against the wishes of the MOD. A subsequent RAF review into cost savings in the SH fleet concluded that it would be cheaper to mothball the Merlins and with the savings on the through-life servicing costs buy and run another squadron of Chinooks...with the attendant increase in lift capacity! Interestingly there was a move to "marinise" the Chinook about 15 years ago so that it could be embarked. It involved a blade folding mechanism which required increasing the chord width to 49" IIRC!
From the above it's fair to conclude that the Navy have long been keen to have improved embarked helicopter capability and the the RAF has been ambivalent about the Merlin so it probably suited both services to operate one fleet each.

[kintyred]

Come on Nutloose, don't ask foolish questions. Everyone knows that management speak is designed to baffle brains.....or maybe the Chinook really is hewn out of a single block of granite!

The original version was an HC Mark 1 and the latest is an HC Mark 6.

[chinook240]

What is a "features a machined monolithic airframe" ? etc

http://ncdmm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Innovations-06-0102-07.pdf

[Dark Helmet]

Thanks chinook240. Very interesting article. I would love to see some of the new shapes and how they differ to the present built-up structures.

[NutLoose]

Thanks Chinook, I do wonder how it will compare in use for BDR etc. 50lbs doesn't seem a whole lot in the scheme of things.

[Rigga]

So...more cracking on Frame 47 then!? (I think it was Frame 47? - Fwd Transport Joint)

[dervish]

The article says "feasible without cost increase" but there'll be creative accounting in there somewhere. It won't apply to retro-fit so not coming to a squadron near you very soon. An expensive way of losing 50lbs on an old airframe. Better to send the crew on a 5 mile run every morning. :E