Boeing Chinook (UK variants)
The Boeing Chinook is a large, tandem rotor helicopter operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A series of variants based on the United States Army's Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the RAF Chinook fleet is the largest outside the United States. RAF Chinooks have seen extensive service in the Falklands War, the Balkans, Northern Ireland, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
| Chinook | |
|---|---|
| Chinook HC6A of 18 Sqn RAF in 2020 | |
| Role | Transport helicopter |
| Manufacturer | Boeing Defense, Space & Security |
| First flight | 23 March 1980 (HC1) |
| Introduction | 1980 with RAF |
| Status | In service |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Developed from | Boeing CH-47 Chinook |
The Chinook, normally based at RAF Odiham in England, provides heavy-lift support and transport across all branches of the British armed forces. The RAF has a total of sixty Chinooks in active inventory as of 2015. In 2018, the UK issued a request to the United States to purchase sixteen additional aircraft. The Chinook is expected to remain in RAF service until the 2040s.
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