I was reading about the RAF’s HC5’s earlier this week (aka, the Worlds Most Expensive Chinooks TM) comparing them to the US MH-47G Special Operations Chinook’s and one thing that struck me as a large difference was the Raytheon APQ-174/186 Multi-Mode Radar (MMR) called silent Knight that supports low level day/night flying.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBd2yfQ5MA
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Now the RAF’s Chinook’s are in the Project JULIUS configuration is there an opportunity to start planning for the next set of improvements for this valuable and uncommon capability?
Whilst we are thinking, how about adding an IFR probe and working up the A400M air to air refuelling capability following a nice letter to the good chaps at AirTanker.
Do the upgraded Mk5’s still have the larger fuel sponsons compared to the new-build Mk6’s?
@ TOC
Yup.
Just which asylum will we be recruiting the Chinook pilots from to fly the IFR conversions TD?
The MoD tried hard but the US still has the record on the most expensive helicopters the VH-71 Kestrel converted from VIP EH-101 at a cost of $4.4bn for 9 , then promptly scrapped and sold as brand new airframes , missing the secret squirrel bits that keep the leader of the free world safe .
Hopefully not giving away too many details of past lives – however I had more than a passing hand in the ole Mk3/Mk5 debacle… I’d like to point out that in my opinion, we got precisely what we paid for from Boeing. What we actually wanted at the time however was something entirely different.
(I had a long diatribe about potential problems and why things went awry – but decided against it, as I am trying to keeping these posts unattributable)