WOW274 RAF Chinook Helicopter ‘Falklands War’

Description

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American designed twin engined tandem rotor helicopter manufactured by Boeing. The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting helicopters in the West. Its name derives from the native American Indian Chinook tribe. By February 1966 the US army had 161 of these aircraft in its inventory, just in time for the Vietnam conflict.

The most spectacular mission in Vietnam for the Chinook was the placing of artillery batteries in perilous mountain positions inaccessible by any other means, and then keeping them resupplied with large quantities of ammunition. The 1st Cavalry Division found that its CH-47s were limited to a 7,000-pound (3,200 kg) payload when operating in the mountains, but could carry an additional 1,000 pounds (450 kg) when operating near the coast. The early Chinook design was limited by its rotor system which did not permit full use of the installed power and users were anxious for an improved version which would upgrade this system.
The Chinook still operates today in various upgraded formats and has been one of the most successful helicopter designs of all time.

Our US army version has now sold out but we do have 1 x RAF version available as per the Falklands war, where our model was the sole survivor of an Argentine Exocet missile attack on the ‘Atlantic Conveyor’ in 1982.  Serial number ‘BN’ (Bravo November) was airborne at the time of the attack and managed to land on HMS Hermes where  she was nicknamed ‘The Survivor’. Bravo November was able to carry some 1,500 troops, 95 casualties, 650 POWs and 550 tons of cargo during the remainder of the conflict. She was the only heavy lift helicopter available to the British task force and was a life saver in every sense of the word to our boys on the ground..

Bravo November later saw active service in the Gulf War, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan. It still serves with the RAF today and is a testament to the enduring design of this aircraft.