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MoD to increase Chinook fleet

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UK defence secretary Bob Ainsworth announced today that the Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to give a major boost to the military helicopter fleet with the provision of 22 new Chinook helicopters.

The first 10 new Chinooks will start to roll off the production line in 2012 and be completed in 2013, increasing air support on the front line in Afghanistan.

The Chinook fleet in total will increase in size from 48 to 70 airframes, which will include eight Mk3 Chinooks and replacements for two Chinooks lost on operations.

The announcement is part of a new Future Helicopter Strategy that will deliver a 40 per cent increase in the number of lift helicopters available for use on operations in extreme conditions, such as those in Afghanistan.

The new strategy will see the ageing Sea Kings, which the Royal Navy and RAF currently use, being taken out of service early. The navy’s future helicopter requirements will be met by a combination of the Merlin fleet and new Wildcats.

The army will also operate Wildcats alongside the Apache. It will mean that following the retirement of Puma from 2022, the UK’s military will operate four core helicopter fleets of Chinook, Apache, Wildcat and Merlin, with around 65-75 of each aircraft.

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