[quoteI can assure you matey, if the Merlin had been designed to RAF specifications it would have come with 2 rotor heads and been able to lift 24.5T!
][/quote] CrabInCab
I seam to remember in the run up to merlin procurment that the main alternitive being sugested to Merlin wasn't Chinook at all but Cougar. It was only when Merlin was the chosen that the Chinook started being mentioned. But you may get your wish for an all chinook fleet. Just a pity that there will be some loss in flexibility. Would be interesting if 1563 was still working in Belize to see the ammount of work needed to make the HLS's capable of taking chinook.