To add to my post that was resurrected......the linked file describes the device the US Army spent loads of money in developing, testing, fielding, and very quickly discarding....that I described earlier.
Memory serves me it stuck out on the port side of the helicopter and looked like a wee short wing shaped device....on our aircraft it had ribs rather than the two prongs and something that at first glance could have been. mistaken for a position light at the tip.
We could never see any useful effect from it and in not much time it was deactivated and ultimately removed.
There were reported events of injury and at least one death from inadvertent discharge from parked aircraft which lead to the device being removed.
Dry, dusty conditions and prolonged hovering in a Chinook does cause a large build up of static electricity that can make the shortest military haircut stand upright.
https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/AD0664201.pdf
Some interesting photos in this article.....with an interesting textual account of why the helicopters were operating there.
There photographer notes how the static display around the blades change with the amount of pitch applied to the blades and the ramp touching the ground.
There should be static wicks that hang down between the tires of the landing gear unless there has been a mod since I flew them.
Hats off to t he Crews and to the Troops they were supporting!
https://realitypod.com/story/helicop...corona-effect/