Upgraded RAF Chinooks headed for Afghanistan
In September the UK defense ministry announced a contract to upgrade the Royal Air Force’s 46-strong Boeing Chinook support helicopter force.

In September the UK defense ministry announced a contract to upgrade the Royal Air Force’s 46-strong Boeing Chinook support helicopter force. Known as Project Julius, and driven partly by the extraordinary demands of sustained operations in Afghanistan, the program consists of re-engining and a cockpit upgrade.

Since the RAF began its operations in Afghanistan’s Helmand province in 2006, the Chinooks have been working extremely hard, individual airframes notching up around four times the flight hours of their U.S. Army counterparts in-theater. Each Chinook is typically deployed for 12 months, during which time it will fly some 800 hours. When returned for servicing, each Chinook brings back vast quantities of sand with it, highlighting the maintenance challenges they face.

Loading…