 |
| Photo by US Defense Gov |
When some people being in love with Сухой (Sukhoi superjet) or Boeing Aircraft, ever since I was 9-years-old as I remember I've had already laid my eyes to two engines humanitarian airlift Chinook only.
Chinook recently used in missions of Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya to the Osama bin Laden raid in Pakistan. And three CH-47 Chinooks were used to cool Reactors 3 and 4 of the Fukushima Nuclear power-plant with sea water after the 9.0 earthquake in 2011.
 |
| Orthographically projected diagram of Boeing Vertol CH-47 Chinook (US Defense Gov) from https://airdefense.bliss.army.mil |
The Chinook is a multi-mission, tandem heavy-lift transport helicopter. Its primary mission is to move troops, artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, barrier materials, supplies and equipment on the battlefield. Its secondary missions include medical evacuation, disaster relief, search and rescue, aircraft recovery, fire fighting, parachute drops, heavy construction and civil development.
Chinook helicopters were introduced in 1962 as the CH-47 Chinook, and models A, B and C were deployed in Vietnam. As the product of a modernization program, which included refurbishing existing CH-47s, the first CH-47Ds were delivered in 1982 and were produced until 1994. A central element in the Gulf War, they continue to be the standard for the U.S. Army in the global campaign against terrorism. Since its introduction 1,179 Chinooks have been built.
The CH-47F technology improvements form the foundation for more than 30 new MH-47G Special Operations Chinooks. This aircraft is required to complete long-range covert missions over a 300-nm radius, at low level, day or night, in adverse weather, over any terrain. The MH-47G has a fully integrated digital Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS), which permits global communications and navigation. CAAS is among the most advanced U.S Army helicopter systems, which includes forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and multimode radar for nap-of-earth and low-level flight operations in poor visibility and adverse weather.
On June 6th 2011: Article of TIME "The Boeing MH-47G Chinook has a Fast Rope Insertion Extraction System (FRIES) for insertion of personnel and equipment, and a trio of machine guns. The Chinook has a crew of three and carries around 30 troops. And, on May 2, 2011, one ferried the body of Osama bin Laden out of Pakistan for the last time."
