New Chinooks... Why a 4 year wait?
Discussion
Great news that the armed forces are getting the new (much needed) Helicopters
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8413135.stm
but... why does it take 4 years to get them into theatre... I can understand that there is a waiting list, but could they not purchase 2nd hand kit from somewhere?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8413135.stm
but... why does it take 4 years to get them into theatre... I can understand that there is a waiting list, but could they not purchase 2nd hand kit from somewhere?
aeropilot said:
thatone1967 said:
but could they not purchase 2nd hand kit from somewhere?
Where do you suggest.....?Most of the current operaters of the type are beating the hell out of their existing fleet in Afgan already
These should have been ordered years ago....but the Govt have been saying we have enough helo's......funny how they've now finally had to admit to lying and had to order some more ...... too little too late as always
)wildcat45 said:
This decision is wrong on so many level's I am afraid.
Our troops near air lift capacity right there, right now.
So how do you solve that problem? You have to go down a route where you accept less than best is better than nothing.
How about buying up commercial helos and kitting them out for service out there.
Plenty of S61s around.
I know they are not ideal but a cheap stop gap is better than nothing.
We have more than 40 RN Merlin helos in service. Superb sub hunters and surface search units. Shot term, take 20, take out the ASW Avionics and do other mods to put them in service as troop transports. Not ideal but again a quick solution.
What happened to the old Sea King ASW fleet? I know some MK6 airframes were converted to Junglie spec. i flew in one a few years ago. Can we not convert more?
The problem with Chinooks is simple. The right helo for the job no - no doubt but not necessarily the right one for the job in the future.
They don't work well on ships. You can't fold the rotors and they're not the best fit on our present generation ships.
Bearing in mind a lot of our armed forces are geared to maritime power projection, we really need to pay extra for folding rotor heads and marinisation of these aircraft or better still, get something else.
We are fighting Uncle Sam's war and paying him to use his helos there.
A bit of smart thinking could have seen more Merlins being ordered. I know they aren't as big as load lugger as the Chinny but they offer flexibility and deployability. Also you would boost UK jobs.
I could go on......
I agree... I thought that the issue was we needed to move troops to combat the IED threat... surely you do not need wokkas for that?Our troops near air lift capacity right there, right now.
So how do you solve that problem? You have to go down a route where you accept less than best is better than nothing.
How about buying up commercial helos and kitting them out for service out there.
Plenty of S61s around.
I know they are not ideal but a cheap stop gap is better than nothing.
We have more than 40 RN Merlin helos in service. Superb sub hunters and surface search units. Shot term, take 20, take out the ASW Avionics and do other mods to put them in service as troop transports. Not ideal but again a quick solution.
What happened to the old Sea King ASW fleet? I know some MK6 airframes were converted to Junglie spec. i flew in one a few years ago. Can we not convert more?
The problem with Chinooks is simple. The right helo for the job no - no doubt but not necessarily the right one for the job in the future.
They don't work well on ships. You can't fold the rotors and they're not the best fit on our present generation ships.
Bearing in mind a lot of our armed forces are geared to maritime power projection, we really need to pay extra for folding rotor heads and marinisation of these aircraft or better still, get something else.
We are fighting Uncle Sam's war and paying him to use his helos there.
A bit of smart thinking could have seen more Merlins being ordered. I know they aren't as big as load lugger as the Chinny but they offer flexibility and deployability. Also you would boost UK jobs.
I could go on......
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