UK C-17, Chinook & Typhoon Uogrades
 

https://www.defensenews.com/digital-...training-tech/

Britain spends $850 million on C-17 upgrades, Typhoon training tech

LONDON – Britain’s Ministry of Defence has announced contracts to enhance capabilities and support for its Boeing-built C-17 Globemaster airlifter and CH-47 Chinook fleets just ahead of the opening of the DSEI defense equipment show at London’s Excel Exhibition Centre on Sept 14.…..

In a second pre-DSEI contract announcement involving the MoD, BAE Systems said it had secured a deal valued at more than £220 million ($300 million) to deliver advanced synthetic training for pilots flying the Typhoon combat jet.

The £324 million ($450 million) C-17 spending package will include enhancements to the beyond-line-of-sight, satellite-enabled communication equipment; a wider field of view via the head-up display to enable increased pilot situational awareness; and widening the scope of the current free-fall parachuting capability.…..

Alongside the C-17 upgrade the MoD also announced it was installing infra-red suppression systems (IRSS) on some of the British Chinook Mk 5 and Mk6 fleets as part of a £64 million improvement program.… In a statement announcing the deal with Boeing Defence UK, the MoD said: “IRSS technology will counter with ‘blanking plates’ on the helicopters, which mask the hot components and redirect airflow to cool the exhaust gases, making it more difficult to target.”…..

The deal with BAE to lead work on the Typhoon Future Synthetic Training program will involve the delivery of 10 high-fidelity, immersive simulators together with state-of-the-art training facilities at the RAF Typhoon bases at Coningsby and Lossiemouth. The contract award follows two previous deals with BAE over the last 18 months as part of the program.BAE said in a statement Sept. 13 that the target initial operating capability is set for RAF Coningsby in late 2022.

I thought they were looking at replacing the Chinook fleet?

Only some of the early models (and with more Chinooks)

who is/are ‘they’?

https://www.flightglobal.com/defence...142042.article

https://www.pprune.org/military-avia...k-fleet-2.html

Britain has confirmed it will acquire 14 Boeing-made Chinook helicopters, but the government has prolonged the delivery schedule over the next decade years due to budget issues.

The latest variant of the Chinook to enter British service will replace older versions of the helicopter being retired, the MoD said in a Defence Command paper. “The Army is retiring its oldest CH-47 Chinook helicopters and investing, alongside the US, in newer variants of this operationally proven aircraft, enhancing capability, efficiency and interoperability,” the document read.

Britain has yet to spell out in detail how many of its oldest helicopters it plans to retire. But it’s expected the overall fleet number, which currently stands at 60 Chinooks, will eventually shrink to 51 — still the largest fleet of its kind in Europe.

https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021...full-delivery/

BN must be close to the oldest and hopefully a space is waiting in the RAFM.

The Army??? Hmmm.