Chinooks On Sky

[A Grey Man]

Watching the news at lunch and it shows the Chinook crews doing the bizz. Good luck. Can't help but feel sorry for the Sea King boys who are still bobbing around without a job.

Then again, they better get use to it I suppose, as it is unlikely that the Royal Marines will look back from this Operation and will therefore always call on the Chinook rather than the Sea King for the real stuff........saving the Royal Navy to do the exercises and training jobs.

Not a dig......big respect for the Junglies, but you must admit it looks as though its operational days are over.

[extpwron]

Could be a density altitude issue. Remember, it’s a Sea King not a Land King

[Muff Coupling]

Don't get too cocky...the King will make a come back. Chinnies will not stay the distance...how many are left tasking in the UK to support the ones in Bagram?

You will have of course noticed the addition of self protection armaments..American everyone of them. M60 on the ramp and 7.62 mini-gun in the side door. We of course do have suitable, effective and reliable British made weapons...doh!

It would seem the Royals have given the SA 80 the thumbs down as well..did my eyes deceive me or was that M16's. M60's and a Russian Lt MG (from the hip!) being used on the ad hoc ranges!!:eek:

Buy septic..you know it makes sense!

[Hydraulic Palm Tree]

Nearly correct.

M16, GPMG and Minimi.

HPT

[Talking Radalt]

"You will have of course noticed the addition of self protection armaments..American everyone of them. M60 on the ramp and 7.62 mini-gun in the side door"

Whaddaya mean the "addition" of US armaments? They're pretty much standard role these days!
And errr isn't the entire aircraft American?

And as for the King making a comeback, I refer you to a planning conversation during SSII (aka Afghanistan work-up):

"So....we've got ten Seakings and need to move thirty blokes, enough rat packs and water for said blokes for two weeks, and a Pinzgauer with 105....it's a bit far so we need to factor in refuels plus crew change.....hmmm at least a day and a half, how about you Chinook losers? How many runs?"

"One"

"OK, and with the Pinz and gun?"

"One"

"What if we REALLY need to take the rations though?"

"Still one"

"Well where you gonna refuel?!!!"

"We're not"

"So how many aircraft are you planning on using?!
(Typically smug RN "We've got 'em on this one"-looks all round)
You've only brought two!

"Errrr.......just the one"

:rolleyes:

[stan hamilton]

Does anyone read Aviation week? A recent issue had CSAR mh-60 blackhawks on the cover. Inside was an article complaining about 7.62 mm miniguns being ineffective against vehicles, meaning Toyota pick-up trucks. Why fit popguns to a larger helicopter? Fifty caliber is still the weapon of choice in the U.S. air force, against well aimed RPG-7's.

[Smoketoomuch]

Muff - The clip I saw showed them using quite a variety of weapons. Guys with the new SA80 were happily blasting away - whilst in the foreground an M16 user was clearly struggling to clear a stoppage. Some mistake surely?
Those with the biggest grins however - were using Minimis :)

[Flap62]

Mini-guns ineffective against Toyota pick-up trucks? Tell you what Stan, why don't you pop the old bott in said pick-up and let a loadie have at you with his minigun from the hover if you believe that codswallop?

[Muff Coupling]

TRad,
Happy to take the banter on the chin..it was aquick glance at the gogglebox..and I did say"..do my eyes decieve.."!

Missed the point though..the slag was NOT that the weapons were US BUT sadly..that we cannot produce anything better!

Oh by the way..Chinnie is not strictly 100% US. The original order was cancelled by Labour and the 30 odd airframes, that were 100% good old Uncle Sam, went into the desert for some sunbathing..when they were eventually re-ordered at a huge penalty to the UK taxpayer...MOD PE (as it was) then went about ripping the entire guts out of them and retrofitting UK AVIONICS and associated looming!!

Always read the label! ;)

Good banter on the SSII story though...but..

HQ Land RAF Mov Staff Officer to BAOR unit..

" So you need to move 4 Lynx, 2 TAR, 3000kg of frieght and 58 men from Hannover to Calgary.mmmmm that will be about 6 Hercs..but some can only go from Wattisham so you will have to get yourself there...overnight back in Lyneham for those that pick up in Germany...re-fuel here ..refuel there..crew duty time...blah blah.....**** forget it..too difficult...|I will book one Antonov and do it all in a oner!"

Never throw stones in a glasshouse!;)

[steamchicken]

That of the Minigun being ineffective against Toyotas can surely only be BS - especially as theirs are mostly Hiluxes! And yer right about the Antonovs - hell, cheaper, more capacity, dead simple - why bloody notski!

[Talking Radalt]

Muff,
two things you've glossed over.
Your story involves a Herc of "Could do" airlines not a Chinny of "Will-Do Rotary Problem Solvers Inc" and the "Mov" of Air Blah Div Mov Twerp, isn't that short for....mover?
I f***in' 'ate movers, me. :mad:
;)

[Cyclic Hotline]

Seems the Russian gear is everywhere these days.

A MI-26 salvaged a wrecked US MH-47E last week in Afghanistan.

Cheap, simple, efficient!

Chinook salvage story (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/020408/168/1dbyl.html)

[Talking Radalt]

Just seen yet more footage on telly. Did anyone else spot the novelty nodding camel on the instrument panel combing just to the right of the standby comp? Whatever next? FLUFFY DICE?!
:cool:

[sf mov]

Wots wrong Talking Radalt, did a mover send your teddy to a far and distant galaxy by mistake ?
either that or you are a failed supply officer!!

[circle kay]

I'd love to know how you can fail at being a supply officer!;)

[Talking Radalt]

sf mov,

take a look at my e-signature and you'll see I'm the ideal choice as a supply officer.

As for the "I f***in' 'ate movers" thing, it's a f***in' long-running joke with a f***in' colleague, although admittedly I do find myself living by that statement more and more as each day passes. And no mover has ever sent my bags or teddy ANYWHERE.
First rule of SH?

:rolleyes:

[Ramp Monkey]

Well well well. The SK couldn't go in due to altitude problems something the Chinny hasn't got hacked entirely either.
As for thr M134 and the Hi Lux, well mine made complete toast of somthing simalar not so long ago. Just stick AP or API from RG in the bloody thing, fit a Dillon and hey presto 4000 per min, no stoppages and super sexy mmm.( looked good on Sky with the crewman posing)
As for the Mini mi's, well they made a right mess of the cab floor!!!

On a serious note though it was a shame not to see the Junglies come into theatre with us , maybe now the navy will look to the future and buy a decent SH for the marines. Lets see EH101, Super Puma or Chinny what will it be, I wonder?:)

[rolandpull]

Seeing the banter about 'junglies' reminds me about me old days in Silopi (Op Haven) 10 years ago. We had temps up in the mid 40's, 100+ Kurds in the back of the old Wokka and I seem to remember the junglies limited to 10-12 pax tops. Light guns were not 'light' over there!
Q. When are we gonna see 3 Gazzelle's tripple hooked? or is there a banging together problem?

[Harpooner]

Are you completely insane man! Three Gazelles at the same time would be a massive flight safety risk; think of the static that such a collection of plastic rubbing together would create!:p

[rolandpull]

Hey Harpooner,
you are absobl**dylutely correct. How about then, putting a Lynx on the center hook and the 3rd gazelle internal?:cool:

[Talking Radalt]

...and the fourth.......and the fifth.
:p

[rolandpull]

We'd probably need an SF Mover to that that many out. Minimum access?

[A Grey Man]

The latest rumour in the MoD is that the BLUH project is to be axed and the money re-allocated to the SABR project. After constant requests from ground commanders for an increase in tactical mobility the MoD hierarchy asked the AAC to justify the requirement for future Lynx. Against a background of recent operational tours by 16 Air Asslt Bde that apart from 'specialist aircraft' did not see Army Lynx deploy (Sierra Leone, Kosovo and more recently Afghanistan) it was seen that the capability was not essential.

However, if the 'war against terrorism' is going to progress beyond the rhetoric and spin then the desperate situation of not enough SH hours need urgently addressing. Apparently options are being investigated of leasing CH47 airframes from the US. Does this mean the junglies will be starting Chinook conversions soon and re-joining the Royal Marines? Or are we going to go truly JOINT?

After the initial culture shock I can see how an Apache + Chinook combination results in an awesome delivery of combat power. Add C17's and the Fisheads and that combat power has global reach......just what the commanders on the ground have been asking for and El Presidente dreams about in helping him punch above his weight on the world stage.

Against this I can see that BLUH's days are limited as it drifts lower and lower on the priority tables. Any shiney bums in town shed any light on this rumour?

[The English Passenger]

A Grey Man...

Sounds like a great plan to me. We all know that the Chinook will always give a better level of support, be it as a troop carrier or battlefield support, than a Lynx (or it's replacement) Why have a small single role LUH when you can have a chinook that can do that job, or move 50+ troops, or move 10 tons of stores/weapons at speed over long distance. The AAC has AH to do the offensive job that Lynx used to do, and the SH force to do the comms tasks that they used the lynx for in the past.

I may be light blue, but I don't care if we get the kit or the Army, or the Navy/Marines. The point is that maybe somebody is really looking at some useful answers to the SH/Battlefield helicopter question for once without being hamstrung by politics or service rivalry (or will they buy another load of GKNs plastic pusuit ship, God help us!).

If you ask the average squaddie what he wants to see coming round the hill to collect him on a dark night in baddie-land it will be a chinook every time. As he knows it will generally get there without breaking, will be armed to the teeth to lay down covering fire during his embarkation, and there will be no danger of there not being enough room for him and his mates!

maybe we will finally get a balanced force equipped with kit that works and does the job....If you are reading this El Presidente, take some notice. If you want us to fight your battles, give us the kit we need, and the support we deserve for stepping into harm's way.

:mad: :D :mad:

[Dunhovrin]

The Sea King may not be busy out east but they're busy back in the Province. I watched one charge past my place at low level and max chat the other morning. The best bit was it was still in sight at teatime.

[Arkroyal]

R850????

You mean they haven't changed those silly codes since 1980???

That was just before the good old Wessex was replaced by the green pinger machines. Sad day, sad day..................................wibble:D

[Correcting-nicely]

Nodding Camels? Didn't see that one.

However, I believe that fluffy dice have seen action strung up in one of 27's cabs during Op Agricola.