MoD reported to have shunned the chance to hire more helicopters.

[MReyn24050]

It is reported in the Daily telegraph that the Ministry of Defence has for a year ignored a £20 million deal to hire transport helicopters from a British firm which could have resolved the transportation shortage in Afghanistan.
The desperate lack of air transport, highlighted at the weekend by The Daily Telegraph, could have been resolved if ministers had agreed last year to an offer from Security Support Solutions Ltd to provide four Mi17 Hip helicopters and an Mi26 Halo transporter, capable of carrying 20 tons.
But the deal foundered because the MoD was reluctant to fly troops in Soviet era helicopters despite the aircraft being specifically designed for the heat and dust of Afghanistan.
Security Support Solutions had the aircraft, flown by former British and European special forces pilots, available immediately to carry troops, food and ammunition in Helmand province.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/18/nwar118.xml
If this is correct is there any logic behind in the MoD's thinking?

[Release-Authorised]

They don't want to be accused of "shooting from the Hip".:}

[Melchett01]

is there any logic behind in the MoD's thinking

Of course there is. Rather than forking out for a handful of ancient ex-Soviet helicopters, it makes for much better headlines to buy new cabs that won't be seen on the battlefied for months if not years!

If the Armed Forces in Afghanistan say they desperately need more RW assets and the govt then goes and puts an order in for 6 Mk3A Merlins and pays to sort out the CH-47mess, they can argue that they are responding to operational concerns and showing how they are in tune with the realities of the current ops situation as well as supporting British jobs.

The fact that the extra cabs were needed last summer, that the Mk3As are unlikely to deploy to Afghanistan any time soon (in fact I'd be gobsmacked to see any more than 2 of them on the flight line before the end of the year) and that it will take God knows how long to re-engineer the CH-47s is all incidental.

Headlines dear boy, headlines and spin. That is the logic behind not taking up the cheap as chips offer for aviation assets designed to operate in those conditions and with a proven capability.

[LBGR]

Chinook helicopters fly over the Paktia's mountain province near Khost, southeast of Kabul
I don't claim to be a Chinook expert, however the helicopter behind the Chinook looks distinctly like a Blackhawk to me :ugh:

[Marly Lite]

The logic may stem from the devil in the detail. What kind of self defence kit would the cheap aircraft have for example?? I guess we don't know, but:

I don't fancy flying around in a cab with antiquated self defence kit.

Even if we bought 30 cabs tommorrow, who's gonna fly them? Don't fancy being flown by mercenary pilots either.

[talk_shy_tall_knight]

Indeed LBGR, what a howler. It completely detracts from the essence of the story. I for one, feel sick to the stomach at this blatant misuse of the letter 's'.

[LBGR]

Only an observation. :hmm:

[Seldomfitforpurpose]

LBGR,

Just a thought but if the pic was taken from the ramp of a CH47 flying in formation with the other two, possibly even more, aircraft then perhaps the use of the "s" in this context was correct.................whatever the main thrust of the story was not really about a recognition error :rolleyes:

[herbaceous]

Come on guys, don't believe everything you read.