2008 CHINOOK NEWS n ch-47f fielding n u.s. army in action n international focus CHINOOK NEWS 2008 Mission StatemenT: AN INTEGRATED TEAM BRINGING TOGETHER THE BEST OF BOEING TO PROVIDE SYSTEMS AND SOLUTIONS THAT EMPOWER THE SOLDIERS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW.

BOEING CHINOOKS STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE in the program in the Field

his was a remarkable year for the worthiness testing and was turned over program. Chinooks continue to set Jack Dougherty, Director of H-47 to the U.S. Army customer. The CH-47F Tnew standards in performance Programs. While this versatile platform entered operational testing in April 2007 regardless of where they are deployed. In is recognized as a force multiplier in during which its performance received 2006, the Chinooks maintained high levels combat, we consistently see it used wide acclaim. In an August ceremony at of readiness and recorded more than in humanitarian missions at home and Fort Campbell, Ky., Bravo Company 73,000 flight-hours. In 2007, the first (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation MH-47Gs were deployed to Afghanistan. around the world. Regiment (Air Assault) officially fielded 12 This issue of Chinook News will showcase CH-47Fs. the many stories of the Chinook’s The CH-47F, with its newly designed performance in combat and in civil and modernized airframe, a Rockwell support missions around the world. You Collins Common Avionics Architecture also will hear from the courageous pilots System cockpit and a BAE Systems Digital and crews who conduct these missions, Advanced Flight Control System, is gener- and proudly featured is the new CH-47F ating interest around the world. In Febru- now entering Army aviation. ary 2007, the Netherlands made the first While this versatile platform is rec- international purchase of the CH-47F. We ognized as a force multiplier in combat, expect more international sales to follow. we consistently see it used in humani- You have seen the Chinook News grow tarian missions at home and around the in popularity and prominence since its first world. Chinooks in Oregon conducted publication as a tabloid two years ago. high-mountain rescues for climbers lost From its inception, the Chinook News told at more than 10,000 feet. During severe the stories of soldiers operating the winter storms, Chinooks were used to CH-47s around the world. rescue people and provide feed for starv- This magazine recently won a Com- ing livestock. They also were deployed to municator Award of Distinction for creative save flood victims and fight forest fires. excellence in the communications field. Photo: Fred T roilo With the fielding of the CH-47F, a new the new aircraft was unveiled in Ridley Congratulations to the Chinook News staff chapter in the history of Army Aviation Park, Pa. Since then, this magnificent new from everyone on the program. n has begun. It was just one year ago that Chinook completed a first hover, air Photo: Fred T roilo 16 10 14 12 8 6 in ch-47f, the

the rotorcraft Proving caas designed, ch-47f: first safe next Fielding field is generation superior cockpit impressions ready a ch-47f it place bred systems right to ADDRESS CORRESPONDENCE TO EDITOR, CHINOOK NEWS, THE BOEING COMPANY, P.O. BOX 16858, MC10-18, PHILADELPHIA, PA 19142-0858 PA PHILADELPHIA, MC10-18, 16858, BOX P.O. COMPANY, BOEING THE NEWS, CHINOOK EDITOR, TO CORRESPONDENCE ADDRESS join product chinook, and in editorial the time tested fight

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the cargo helicopter project Management Office providing A capable, safe, superior product to the troops By col. newman shufflebarger

eam Chinook continues to provide the On July 20, 2007, Bravo Company world with the best heavy-lift heli- While the arrival of the CH-47F marks a (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Tcopter capability for all missions. The major milestone, the Cargo Program Man- Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Bri- soldiers who fly and fight with the agement Office (PMO) remains committed to gade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) CH-47Ds in today’s war conduct missions providing complete support for the existing became the First Unit Equipped with the in the harshest environmental conditions CH-47D fleet until the last CH-47Fs are CH-47F. This final event paved the way for and scenarios. fielded in 2018. operational combat units to equip, train Soon the fight will be joined with the – Col. Newman Shufflebarger and deploy with the CH-47F in support of next generation Chinook, the CH-47F. This Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation battle ready weapon system has under- Enduring Freedom. gone significant upgrades to provide our The crews reported significant im- warfighters with the systems they require. provements while conducting missions The CH-47F rolled out in the fall of 2006 using the integrated Common Avionics and underwent significant Developmental Architecture System cockpit and Digital Testing prior to Operational Test in 2007. Advanced Flight Control System. The im- The CH-47F Operational Test was rec- mense technological challenges of creat- ognized by the Vice Chief of Staff of the ing this system were possible only by the Army and Office of Secretary of Defense synergy and teamwork of all on Team as the best run Army Aviation test program Chinook. in fiscal year 2007. The Cargo Helicopter Project Manage- This new weapon system performed ment Office is proud to provide users with beyond expectations and achieved 100 an operationally capable, safe, technologi- percent mission success, exceeding all re- cally superior and cost-effective Cargo liability, availability and maintainability ob- Helicopter fleet. Team Chinook exists to jectives. Members of Team Chinook were provide dominant heavy-lift support to the critical partners in achieving this success. warfighter – today and in the future.n any 6 7

SIX seven Photo: T he b oeing Com p CH-47F FIELDING ch-47f a PLACE in time

new chapter in Army aviation history completed the design, integration and test- begins with the fielding of the ing of the F-CAAS cockpit and the all-new A CH-47F Chinook. With a focus on digital automatic flight control system, meeting the needs of the warfighter, the and integrated numerous other Chinook U.S. Army Cargo Helicopter Office and improvements, all while reducing the total the Boeing Rotorcraft team advanced the cost of a new CH-47F by more than 30 concept of a Chinook upgrade that evolved percent. into an advanced, highly capable aircraft Boeing unveiled the first production that will serve as a multimission asset well CH-47F in Philadelphia in June 2006. The into the future. aircraft completed its first flight in October The CH-47F initially began as a modest and airworthiness testing in November, plan under a service life extension program followed by the first aircraft delivery later to upgrade the existing D model with a that month. The Army performed Initial Key vibration-reducing, stiffened airframe, Personnel Training and additional system dynamic component overhaul and partial testing during the remainder of 2006 and “glass” cockpit. into January 2007. In February 2007, the In the late 1990s, Boeing implemented aircraft transferred to Bravo Company The Army accepted the first The CH-47F Chinook helicopter is now certified combat-ready by the U.S. Army and has been fielded to the first operational unit. Following extensive Lean manufacturing initiatives on its (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Reg- production CH-47F Chinook Nov.17, testing, the Army authorized First Unit Equipped, assigning the aircraft to Bravo Company (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Chinook manufacturing line. With the Lean iment. The 7th Battalion performed new 2006. Army pilots at Fort Rucker Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Ft. Campbell, Ky. “The CH-47F is a next-generation aircraft that provides greater safety, initiatives in place, Boeing engineers took equipment training and completed opera- conducted testing of the new mission management and situational awareness for our soldiers,” said Jack Dougherty, director, Boeing H-47 Programs. “This represents a milestone advantage of computer-aided design tools tional testing in April 2007. aircraft. to redesign the Chinook for producibility. The cargo helicopter fleet will ultimately in Army aviation.” “It is an honor to have been chosen as the first unit to field the aircraft,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Robert P. Dickerson, commander, 7th PM Cargo Helicopters, Boeing and include 339 aircraft renewed with new Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment (Air Assault). “The Chinook is a combat multiplier and brings greater situational awareness, versatility and capability to Team Chinook worked together to rede- airframes and refurbished drive trains and the fight. ”The CH-47F helicopter features a newly designed, modernized airframe, a Rockwell Collins Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) sign the fuselage using the latest Lean rotor systems. Another 113 totally new cockpit and a BAE Systems Digital Advanced Flight Control System (DAFCS). CAAS greatly improves air crew situational awareness; and DAFCS provides techniques – to reduce part count and CH-47Fs will be built. The CH-47Fs deliv- dramatically improved flight control capabilities through features such as “hover hold,” “altitude hold” and “beep down” that improve performance and simplify manufacturing and assembly to ered to the U.S. Army will meet the needs safety in brownout situations, and in the entire flight envelope. Advanced avionics also incorporate improved situational awareness for flight crews with an lower fuselage costs dramatically. They of the warfighter well into the future. n advanced digital map display and a data transfer system that allows storing of preflight and mission data. Improved survivability features include Common Missile Warning and Improved Countermeasure Dispenser Systems. The entire suite of improved cockpit capabilities will apply to other H-47 models. The Boeing Company unveils the first production CH-47F Chinook to the U.S. Army during a rollout ceremony in Ridley Park, Pa. The Lt. Col. Thomas Todd, CH-47F prod- aircraft is the first of 452 new uct manager, accepts the keys to CH-47F heavy-transport helicopters The CH-47F Chinook successfully the first production CH-47F Chinook The CH-47F Chinook successfully The U.S. Army authorizes full-rate included in the U.S. Army Cargo completed the Acceptance Flight from Kenneth Eland, Boeing CH-47F completes U.S. Army Operational production and fielding of the new Helicopter modernization program. Test conducted in Ridley Park, Pa. program manager. Testing at Fort Campbell, Ky. CH-47F Chinook.

JUNE OCTOBER NOVEMBER APRIL JUNE august 2006 2007 8 9

eight nine Photos: Fred T roilo CH-47F FIELDING

CH-47F Chinook: Designed & bred and tested for combat By lt. col. gerald l. dwyer

he CH-47F Chinook is the latest ver- 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). sion of a long line of combat proven Lt. Col. Gerald Dwyer was assistant pro- Significantly, the unit had recently returned Theavy-lift helicopters. It provides im- gram manager, CH-47F during OT, and is from OIF, and the crews of the two test pressive cargo-carrying capability, which now assistant program manager, CH-47, aircraft had a combined total of over 6,000 significantly increases the mobility and Foreign Military Sales. combat flight-hours. The U.S. Army fights maneuverability of the supported combat as it trains. The crews conducted New forces. These combat forces are integral to Equipment Training in the CH-47F and the providing the requirements that drive the Transportable Flight Proficiency Simulator design of the weapon system. for over 2,000 hours. Being able to The requirements generation for the conduct the test and evaluation with the Improved Cargo Helicopter began in the unit that will be the First Unit Equipped early 1990s after Desert Storm. The re- significantly enhanced the unit’s capability, quirements and the program have changed and provided them more flight-hours in the based upon the changes in doctrine and aircraft they will deploy with. employment of the Chinook in the Global The OT included engine performance, War on Terrorism (GWOT). communication and navigation verifica- The Chinook’s unique modularity and tions in addition to basic aircraft function- inherent design characteristics provide ality testing. Also, the interoperability with capabilities for the combat forces current and future air and ground systems employed in far-flung areas. Significantly, were validated. The OT included more than the ability to operate tactically in hot, high 60 flight test hours simulating a wide and humid areas makes the Chinook the range of missions, including air assault, air assault and combat mission support combat resupply and transport operations aircraft of choice for the U.S. Army and Co- in a GWOT mission environment. alition forces in Operation Enduring OT was accomplished ahead of sched- Freedom. In Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) ule, and the CH-47F’s System Evaluation the Chinook’s lifting capacity provides Report defined the weapon system as ef- ground forces the ability to maneuver U.S. Army, Joint services and Coalition fective, suitable and survivable. The RAM safely via air, mitigating the effects of partners. The CH-47F also increases the data reflects that the CH-47F is expected Improvised Explosive Devices. In other weapons system’s Reliability, Availabil- to reduce operating and support costs by theaters the ability to conduct amphibious ity and Maintainability through the use decreasing the maintenance burden on the operations is used to advantage. of many systems including a monolithic cargo helicopter unit as compared with the The missions in support of GWOT airframe replacing built-up structures and CH-47D. are challenging and require a significant enhanced air transportability features. OT was a significant stage in the de- amount of situational awareness by the Operational Test (OT) Phase II was the velopment of the CH-47F Chinook as the crews that operate the Chinook. The com- culminating event of the systems’ world’s premier heavy-lift helicopter. It was bination of Common Aviation Architecture Developmental Test using several Low- born from the requirements of the combat System and Digital Advanced Flight Control Rate Initial Production aircraft. This event soldiers, developed to meet those require- System provides an optimal capability for was conducted by Operational Test ments and rigorously tested by a combat the crew to operate in challenging environ- Command, Army Test and Evaluation proven unit. All who worked with the mental conditions, which required precise Command and evaluated by Director of CH-47F stand ready to respond to the handling to successfully complete the Operational Test and Evaluation. The flight requirements of the soldiers who crew, missions. Additionally, the integrated and tests were conducted by Bravo Company support and fly them.n expanded avionics suite provides unpar- (Varsity), 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation Reg- alleled capability to communicate with iment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10 11

ten eleven Photo: Fred T roilo CH-47F FIELDING CAAS cockpit goes operational in CH-47F

he U.S. Army has declared the Rockwell Collins Common Development and testing of the CH-47F was recently completed Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit in the Boeing at Fort Campbell, Ky., paving the way for the planned fielding of TCH-47F to be operationally ready for deployment. approximately 450 CAAS cockpits in the Chinook aircraft. “Reaching this milestone is critically important because it “Rockwell Collins has demonstrated its ability to deliver the gives CH-47F pilots the situational awareness that is necessary to CAAS upgrade on time and on budget,” said Jasper. “But more operate more effectively in hazardous terrain,” said Phil Jasper, importantly, our CAAS cockpits provide enhanced levels of vice president and general manager of Integrated Systems for situational awareness for pilots and can be easily upgraded as Rockwell Collins. new technology is matured.” The first CAAS-equipped platform, an MH-47G operated The U.S. Army’s CH-47F Chinook is a multi-mission, heavy- by the U.S. Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment lift transport helicopter that supports the movement of troops, (Airborne), was deployed in early 2007. artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, barrier materials, supplies and “Our CAAS cockpit is allowing pilots to safely navigate in equipment on the battlefield. hazardous terrain while enabling them to recalculate their flight Selected by the U.S. Army as a common digital cockpit for its plan and be on target within plus or minus 30 seconds,” said rotary-wing transport aircraft, the Rockwell Collins CAAS provides Jasper. “This rerouting capability is enabling faster and more the CH-47 platform with exceptional mission effectiveness with its effective deployment and pickup of troops in the battlespace.” fully integrated flight and mission management capabilities. The CAAS cockpit open systems architecture integrates flight Incorporating integrated communications and navigation sys- operations with mission systems and tactical situational awareness tems management, along with the latest in digital battlefield situa- and provides growth required for the future. tional awareness and connectivity, the CH-47 CAAS-equipped air- The CAAS solution incorporates common, reusable processing craft provides army aviation with a reliable and efficient transport elements in each piece of hardware and incorporates an open helicopter for tactical and combat support mission requirements systems architecture based on commercial standards. The around the world. n commonality of hardware components is designed to provide lower total life cycle cost and lower costs for technology insertion and supportability. 12 13

Photo: Fred T roilo twelve thirteen CH-47F material in places, and titanium under aircraft than ever before. We’ll be able to FIELDING the engine decks, so it’s a considerably safely execute missions that were prob- beefed up airframe. The avionics have been ably a little more dangerous than we would upgraded to include an extra Fox mic radio. have liked to have entertained in the past. The two Fox mic radios now have integrated The aircraft’s Global Positioning System and COMSEC. It has better vector and uniform moving maps gives us the ability to navigate radios and a good HF radio, and they are all to precise standards without any guess data bussed together and controlled through work. The Mission Management System a common display unit. The bright spot for will allow us to get there on time and right us is the Digital Advanced Flight Control on the money without a whole lot of effort. System, which immensely improves the It’s going to improve our combat capability. aircraft handling at low speeds and gives The external cargo capacity of the aircraft us the ability to hover without any effort is the same, but the ability to hook loads in dust. In fact, we proved that this thing easily and safely with the new stability OPERATIONAL TESTING can be hovered in a zero-zero environment augmentation, the Advanced Flight Control Photo: D i c k R uhlman CW4 Neal Lorenson without any trouble whatsoever. Based on System, is much better. We demonstrated Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation our recent experience in Iraq, this is a huge that during Operational Testing. We went out Regiment deal for us. It’s going to be a real mission with the D model and an F model together, PROVING IT RIGHT and a real safety enhancer for us and we’re hooked loads at night with tall grass and The CH-47F is a surprising piece of equip- pretty excited. We now have a Common the F model performed significantly better. CH-47F Pilots ment. We were pleasantly surprised that the Avionics Architecture System cockpit that At high altitude you have the same basic F is a reasonably mission-ready piece of integrates the flight displays for hover and performance; it’s a pretty robust aircraft. equipment that is a quantum leap forward navigation. The engine instruments, the Maximum gross weight is 50,000 pounds, from the old D model. Starting with the system displays, the moving map and more. which gives us a usable payload of between The Common Aviation Architecture System force, threat icons, real-time moving map airframe, the F model has most of the major Basically, it’s a big mission control computer. 15,000 and 20,000 pounds, depending cockpit is a great improvement over what right here in the cockpit and when needed. structural forms milled out of single billets of And, it’s a real mission enhancement. The on how we’re configured. It’s a marvelous we had in the D model. The amount of infor- We can overlay our routes, and headings aluminum, which stiffens the airframe, and low-speed hover regimes are an advantage aircraft; a great big Cadillac with a sports mation and the ease in which it processes – overlay our courses, compass lines, CDIs, reduces vibration. It has some composite for us. We will be able to do more with one car heart. n information gives us a set of tools that we anything we want over the top of the digital never possessed. And it expands our mission map. It shows exactly where we are and ex- capability and our ability to support the cus- actly what’s around us. There’s an incredible tomer. The Digital Advanced Flight Control amount of information in that system. The System provides us with a level of stability new equipment reduces workload. It’s great and safety we never had, and we can do fun to fly and there are so many tools you precision hover with much less workload on can use between imagery and map charting. the pilots. All the hover work that we do, load It’s a great airplane to fly.n pickup in reduced visibility or dust landings all become much easier with the F model. Photo: D i c k R uhlman The digital map and mission processor CW4 Tom Miskowiec provide us with a situational awareness that Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 101st Aviation we never had before. We now have all of Regiment the information – blue force tracker, friendly

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Photo: Fred T roilo fourteen fifteen CH-47F FIELDING

I’ve been flying Chinooks for about 10 years, model you have precision hold and transla- New Equipment with about 20 years of experience flying. I tional rate command. These will assist the deployed to Desert Shield and Desert Storm, pilot in keeping the aircraft in a low visibility TesT Pilots flying Hueys and now flying Chinooks. I environment, and straight and level to land went to Afghanistan for a year rotation. I the aircraft with little input from the pilot. have about 2,000 hours total time in the For mission planning and decision-making FIRST IMPRESSIONS CH-47. We’ve been able to mission manage processes, the more you know about the with this cockpit and land at a location with situation you are flying into, the better deci- information on a load we’re picking up. With sion you can make on routes you are going OF THE CH-47F the mission management capability, we are to fly. With the availability of the digital map, able to handle a 4,000-pound load, that can you can pick the best route – especially if be changed to a 5,000- or 6,000-pound you know of a threat situation out in front I’ve been flying Chinooks since 2002. I have can get new missions and put new missions load. We can input data into this system, and of you. With the capability of the avionics, two combat tours, one in 2004 and I’ve just in without having to go all the way back to it will give us performance data on whether information can be updated quicker, and you returned from another one in 2006. Most our home station and recompute figures. or not we can carry that load and reason- can change a route at a moment’s notice. n of my Chinook experience is in a combat The CAAS cockpit will do all of that for us ably deter-mine how far we can carry this environment, and most of our missions were enroute. One of the biggest features that CW4 Gary Newsome, Pilot load and whether we can take it to a higher in hot temperatures and dusty environ- will help in a combat environment besides Evaluation and Standardization altitude. With DAFCS in the cockpit of an F ments, a lot of good memories, a lot of the overall CAAS cockpit, is the transitional good times. The CH-47D aircraft has been rate command and position hold. That will around forever and is still a great aircraft. help in dusty Landing Zone environments, We tried to fly them into the ground and reducing hard roll-on landings. We’ll be able I’ve been flying Chinooks for 19 years with getting the messages in and being able to were successful in putting quite a few hours to come in at a 10-foot hover and hover about 4,000 hours in the airframe. I’ve been send messages. This increases overall com- on many of them. My last tour in Iraq, was straight down. I feel that CAAS will improve stationed at Fort Sill, where I deployed to bat effectiveness, efficiency of the mission n a little over seven months, and I flew more our performance – once everyone learns the Operation Desert Storm and made one visit and the safety of the crew. than 600 hours. I think the CAAS cockpit is equipment and is a little more experienced, this time to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Some going to be an outstanding help in a combat it’s going to reduce head-down time and of the main advantages of the CAAS cockpit CW2 James levely, Pilot environment, especially with less heads- help manage the workload. The moving versus the D model is the situational aware- down time in the cockpit and more informa- maps and navigational products on the ness that it provides with moving maps and Bravo Company 7/101 the ability to put overlays on those maps. tion provided to the flight crews. The flight aircraft will show us where we are as well management is an awesome system. We as where our threats are. n Additionally, the power requirements of the aircraft are given to you digitally with the proper information entered into the system. You know how much power is available at I’ve been flying Chinooks for about two-and- the aircraft land safely. We constantly get any time, and that should greatly enhance a-half years.I spent one year in Iraq and flew mission changes – weights may be different ability, especially in the high-altitude envi- 350 hours. With the F aircraft there is a lot or there are more people to take somewhere CW4 Ron Henry, Pilot ronments. Also receiving real-time updates more information for you to use and more – or a new location. With CAAS you can plug Standardization Instructor Pilot and Instrument with the joint variable mission format means detail available for mission planning with in all the information, and the system tells Flight Examiner out referencing paper material. Now it’s all you if you are able to do it, and you are able here, so if you have a mission change, you to give a quicker answer to the customer. It don’t have to worry about whether you are is the number one advantage in the aircraft. able to do it or not. The CAAS system is able The difference between this and a D in com- to tell you right then and there, if you have bat is the CAAS cockpit, and the ability to fuel, how long it will take and how far it is, rapidly adjust if the customer has a change and by constantly referencing the map you in weight, packs or a different landing zone. know where you are and the best route to CAAS will let you plug in the information take. Position hold and translational rate and give you precise information on fuel command I think are very useful, especially burn, flight distance and time needed. You on windy days. These will really help the can check for any danger in the area that CW2 Mike Maggio, Pilot aircraft hold steady while hooking up loads has been marked. You have it all right there, Bravo Company 7/101 or whatever needs to be done in brown-out available to you in the aircraft. n conditions or limited visibility. It also helps

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Photo: Fred T roilo sixteen seventeen U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

MH-47G Chinook deploys to combat By kimberly t. laudano, 160th special operations aviation regiment public affairs

ORT CAMPBELL, Ky. “On our first direct action mis- (USASOC-CI News Service, A MH-47G Chinook is staged on a flight line for potential missions sion with the G model, the Flight FMay 14, 2007) – The 160th while deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Lead (FL), with unprecedented Special Operations Aviation Regi- Freedom. speed and accuracy, was able to ment (Airborne) deployed the first perform calculations on the fly for MH-47G Chinook helicopters to both the infil and exfil on three Afghanistan in support of Opera- different flight routes with various tion Enduring Freedom in March allowable cargo loads to multiple 2007. helicopter landing zones,” recalls After the first two and one-half Little. months of the deployment, the This allowed the FL to provide detachment of aircraft executed more options to the ground force numerous combat missions, flying commander than ever before, more than 460 flight-hours and enabling the commander to pro- maintaining a readiness rate of vide maximum combat power on more than 97 percent. the objective. Lt. Col. Manfred Little, com- On another occasion, 160th mander, 3rd Battalion, 160th crews received a time-sensi- SOAR, who deployed the new tive mission while in-flight. The aircraft, said that the MH-47G crews leveraged the technologies is proving to be an impressive onboard the MH-47G to develop a aircraft for his aviators who are plan enroute to their staging loca- conducting extremely challenging operations in Afghanistan, often tion. They quickly transferred the information electronically be- on zero-illumination nights with limited visibility from blowing dust tween aircraft at the staging area, providing an accurate mission and haze. plan within the short mission timeline. “The MH-47G Chinook provides an increased safety and situ- “This is a tremendous leap in planning capabilities and ational awareness capability by allowing the pilots to navigate accuracy compared to previously establishing a plan in flight with utilizing a digital moving map display with a height-above-terrain paper maps and in a blacked-out cockpit,” said Little. airs feature, a fused image display and a radar picture of the terrain The 160th is growing its fleet of Chinooks and replacing the along the flight path,” said Little. aging mixed fleet of D- and E-model Chinooks with the newest “These mission aids allow our pilots to safely navigate above G models. These modernized rebuilt aircraft include all the fea- the hazardous terrain to put the ground force on target, plus or tures of the MH-47E with the addition of a new cockpit and minus 30 seconds.” selected airframe sections, and the Common Avionics Architecture New technology onboard the MH-47G also is taking mission System (CAAS) with five full-color multifunction displays.n planning to a whole new level. viation R egiment Pu b li c Aff viation

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erations A Photos: 160th Sp e c ial Op erations eighteen nineteen U.S. ARMY IN ACTION vital and versatile chinook By col. newman shufflebarger and kent smith

Iraqi soldiers from 1st Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division, dismount a CH-47 Chinook he CH-47 Chinook is the heavy-lift More than 55,000 of the flight-hours were logged in support of during an all-Iraqi air assault near the northeastern portion of Lake Tharthar in Salah aircraft of choice for many critical combat, combat major theater operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom, ad Din Province. Tsupport and combat service support missions of the United Operation Iraqi Freedom and earthquake relief to victims in Pakistan. States Army. For more than four decades, U.S. soldiers have relied The CH-47 also supported many rescue and relief missions upon the Chinook to provide vital, versatile heavy-lift support for throughout the United States. Most recent operations within the combat, emergency and peacetime operations. continental US include the search and rescue operations for the Over the past year, the Chinook was able to meet all readiness missing mountain climbers on Mount Hood and support of a num- requirements while accumulating more than 73,000 flight-hours. ber of search and rescue operations after major snowstorms hit This is a seven percent increase in flight-hours over the previous several Midwestern states. Additionally, CH-47 units aided mid- year. This increase is significant because the hours flown were western farmers and cattlemen by providing airdrops of hay to accomplished with 25 fewer aircraft. (The 25-aircraft reduction livestock stranded by the snowstorms. occurred because CH-47D aircraft were inducted into the CH-47/ MH-47G remanufacturing line). continued on page 22

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gt. 1st Class R o b ert Brogan Photo: U . S A rmy gt. twenty twenty-one U.S. ARMY IN ACTION continued from page 21 The CH-47F: Modernizations, improvements and upgrades continue to be The next generation Chinook integrated into the legacy D-model Chinooks. Integration of the Summary CBM and are committed to further reducing the burden on the third generation of Blue Force Tracker and the CMWS are two Just like its predecessors, the CH-47F will soon be the U.S. American soldier. examples of improvements currently being installed on CH-47Ds. The primary mission of the CH-47 PMO is to provide one face Army’s heavy-lift aircraft of choice. The first fully equipped We are proud of the outstanding Chinook legacy that has CH-47D improvements on the near horizon include installation to the field to support and sustain the Chinook helicopter fleet. production CH-47F was delivered to the U.S. Army in November been in the making for over four decades. We are determined to of the EPUSHA pump, which provides electrical power instead of The Cargo PM and all Team Chinook members are excited about 2006. A total of 452 CH-47F model aircraft will be delivered over maintain the high standards established by our predecessors manpower to “prime” the start accumulator for the Auxiliary Power the promising future of the Chinook program. The modernized the next 12 years. Every CH-47F delivered has the new machined and we are looking forward to continuing that legacy with the Unit. In addition, the Cargo PMO is fielding a new crashworthy CH-47F is now an Army reality. The legacy CH-47D aircraft will monolithic airframe, new hydraulic systems and new wiring and modernized CH-47F. n crew seat for crewmembers in the aircraft cabin. remain a part of Army Aviation for a decade to come. The chal- wiring harnesses. Longer term development projects for the CH-47D include an lenges of fielding, maintaining and sustaining both aircraft are Col. Newman Shufflebarger is the project manager for Cargo Helicopters and The new airframe is designed to provide additional structural improved Electronic Control Unit for the engines, a redesigned many. The Chinook community is eager to take on these chal- Kent Smith is CH-47 chief of staff in the Office of the Project Manager for Cargo support to previously identified stress areas. Of the 452 CH-47F cargo hook and an improved engine tailcone designed to improve lenges. We are embracing the concept and implementation for Helicopters, Program Executive Office for Aviation, Redstone Arsenal, Ala. aircraft, 119 are new builds. The remaining 333 CH-47F aircraft are the survivability characteristics of the Chinook. remanufactured. The remanufactured aircraft have 97 items that are recapitalized components from retired CH-47Ds. These compo- nents range from rotor heads and rotor blades to landing gear and Condition-based maintenance and electronics. With the exception of the 97 recapitalized items, all other health usage and monitoring system components on the remanufactured CH-47Fs are new. The Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) initiative is a risk The CH-47F aircraft come equipped with the fully integrated reduction approach to aircraft maintenance. The key to the suc- Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) digital cockpit, cess of CBM is to identify component degradation to preclude a Digital Advanced Flight Control System (DAFCS) and improved air- failure from occurring. craft survivability equipment, including the Common Missile Warn- ing System (CMWS). The CAAS provides improved situational awareness while the DAFCS improves aircraft handling qualities. For more than four decades, Each CH-47F also is fitted with the improved Air Transportabil- U.S. soldiers have relied upon ity Kit. This new quick-disconnect design will significantly reduce teardown and rebuild times for deployment operations. the Chinook to provide vital, The first unit equipped with the CH-47F was completed in versatile heavy-lift support for July 2007. Subsequent CH-47F units will be fielded at a rate of two units per year. combat, emergency and The CH-47F Chinook Transportable Flight Proficiency Simula- peacetime operations. tor (TFPS) was developed to train pilots to operate the CH-47F CAAS equipped aircraft. The first CH-47F TFPS was delivered to Fort Campbell in 2006 and the first aircrew completed their flight In support of the CBM initiative, PM Cargo is developing a simulator training in January 2007. Between January and July of Health Usage and Monitoring System (HUMS) for the CH-47 aircraft. 2007, aircraft were delivered to the first receiving unit. Mainte- The CH-47 HUMS system will provide real-time monitoring and nance crews and support personnel completed initial training and status reporting of critical components on the aircraft. The received tools, support equipment and publications required to information provided by this system will allow maintainers and support the CH-47 first unit equipped. operators to identify problematic areas on the aircraft so the appropriate corrective action can be accomplished. The CH-47D: Focused on support Digital collection of the HUMS data and comparisons of that and sustainment for next decade data over a period of time will become the baseline for CBM. Analysis of the data collected will provide essential information While the arrival of the CH-47F marks a major milestone, the required to identify failure rate trends of several key components. Cargo Program Management Office (PMO) remains committed to Once these trends are identified, the aircraft maintenance plan providing complete support for the existing CH-47D fleet until the will be adjusted to repair or replace these items prior to their last CH-47Fs are fielded in 2018. actual failure thus eliminating the propagation of these failures to Soldier Focused Logistics, which consolidated key Chinook other components. PM Cargo continues in its efforts to develop support organizations and personnel into one centralized location and field a complete data collection and analysis system to meet under the control of the CH-47 program manager, has proved to the goals and challenges of CBM. be an effective, Army transformation program. This colocation and integration of all CH-47 Life Cycle Management personnel has improved communications and provided quicker response times to support the CH-47 fleet. any 22 23

twenty-two twenty-three Photo: T he Boeing Com p U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

Lt. COL. Walter R. Bradley was the company commander for BRAVO Company, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, which is a CH-47D Chinook company based at New Century airport in BEST Kansas, during deployments to Pakistan and Afghanistan. of the best BRAVO CO., 7-158TH COMMANDER To describe the Chinook, I would refer to its capability and part of Pakistan, working out of Islamabad into the affected area versatility. When you speak about capability, look to the aircraft’s to larger cities as well as the remote and isolated villages that performance, its power and versatility to handle different were in very small, remote landing zones. LT. COL. WALTER BRADLEY mission scenarios. I have never been in a scenario where a Chinook couldn’t We were mobilized to go to Afghanistan as a company to per- handle the mission. You can land the machine on any slope, it talks mission performance form a wartime mission. We were only at Fort Sill two days and doesn’t matter. You are able to maneuver and hover around were given a mission change for Pakistan to assist in the humani- the center cargo hook, or maneuver around the nose or just tarian efforts after the earthquake. around the tail as a pivot point in confined areas. That’s part of The mission in Pakistan was made for Chinooks because of the the aircraft’s flexibility. During the overall deployment in Pakistan, we flew 3,000 n the Army Reserve, we work for the Department of the Army, flight-hours. We never cancelled a mission because of mainte- the Department of Defense, and we’re under the 244th Aviation I have never been in a scenario nance and we never lost a machine overnight in the field because IBrigade and the United States Army Reserve Command out of where a Chinook couldn’t handle of a mechanical failure. We moved over 25 million pounds of sup- Atlanta, Ga. plies, food, medicine, tentage and construction materials, and we Typical duties with the CH-47D Chinook are that we handle all the mission. evacuated over 4,000 refugees. In casualty evacuation, lifesaving aspects of military training and support. We are fully capable of – Lt. Col. Walter Bradley mode, we moved over 300 medical patients. We terminated the performing all aspects of the CH-47 missions including day, night mission in Pakistan in March 2006 and began moving back into (with night-vision goggles) in virtually all weather conditions. In the Afghanistan to pick up our wartime mission in Kandahar. event of any kind of a natural disaster, such as the one we respond- conditions we were in. We got there and we had to move rapidly. We were in big demand in Afghanistan because of the ed to in Pakistan, we can haul cargo, relief supplies, humanitarian We moved by Air Force assets into Rota, Spain, then into Bagram capabilities of this machine and its ability to haul thousands and assistance supplies, anything that anyone would need in those sce- and Afghanistan. We put the aircraft back together and we self- thousands of pounds of equipment. With the operating bases far narios. Stateside, we have responded to floods and firefighting. deployed them over as a unit into Islamabad to start our missions. out of Kandahar the re-supply effort for the most part was done One day after we arrived in Pakistan, we were flying our first by Chinook. We’d haul their food, their ammunition, fuel, we could operational mission in the Himalayan mountains. Winter was externally load humvees over there. If something had to be moved coming on, so there was an overwhelming sense of urgency, and out to the forward operating bases to support the troops, we of course the immediate impact of the earthquake that killed tens moved it by Chinook. of thousands of people. Relief supplies were needed because I think one tremendous impact we had in Afghanistan was people were suffering there, and they could not be evacuated that we didn’t move supplies by convoy on the ground, and thus because of their numbers, the distance and the conditions of the you did not see the dangers associated with roadside ambushes, mountains and the roads. military vehicle breakdowns and having to retrieve that equipment Our issues were operating at high altitudes, dust and snow out of the field. conditions. Beyond that, the big demand was for of our crews We never lost a mission. We never cancelled a mission to any to adapt to mission changes and switching from internal cargo maintenance delay at all and that’s a tribute to our folks who loads, medical evacuations, external cargo loads, rolled vehicle, maintain these machines and the capability of that machine. palletized equipment, and supplies. It was never-ending. The same week we were going to Pakistan, our sister unit We’d be diverted to handle a medical evacuation mission or to out of Fort Eustis Virginia was in New Orleans responding to the move litter patients, litter casualties; we’d be diverted to accident floods. The Chinook again is suited to that mission perfectly. scenes or hauling palletized cargo that was coming off airplanes Those folks have the capability to do rooftop landings or to do from the international community. Mission changes were con- hoist extractions to remove people from rooftops, and if you are stant. The ability to land this machine in almost any condition is looking at being able to move 30 people at a time, that’s a consid- unique: mountains, two-wheel pinnacle landings, forward or aft erable capability that you don’t have with smaller aircraft. gear. We’d be in snow in the morning, dust in the afternoon and When you speak about capability, look to the aircraft’s per- operating up to altitudes as high as 14,000 feet. We did not need formance, its power and versatility to handle different mission the water-landing capability, but we did need every aspect of the scenarios. This capability enables us to respond. As always, the cargo handling, both internal and external. United States Army Reserve is ready to respond. n We worked over several hundred square miles of the northern

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Photo: Jason Barras twenty-four Twenty-five U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

the high and the

sgt. 1st class todd albertson SPC. tim hanforth Staff sgt. andrew rodin mighty Oregon National Guard, Flight Engineer, CH-47 Oregon National Guard, Flight Engineer, CH-47 Oregon National Guard, Flight Engineer, CH-47 HIgh mountain rescues I’ve been on flight status, crewing Chinooks I’ve been operating on Chinooks for four I’ve been operating in Chinooks since 1997. for 14 years. The Mount Hood rescue was years. I’ve been on three different rescue The rescue on Mount Rainer required crew one of those weekend calls: come in, fly to missions and numerous search missions coordination – lowering the search teams to CW3 Dennis rodgers packs, ropes and individuals stayed safe. Mount Hood, see what you could do, provide – down to Bishop, Calif., Mount Rainer, the target destination, looking straight down the capabilities of high-altitude performance Wash., and Mount Hood, Ore. Each one at a cable over 100 feet long and a quarter Oregon National Guard, CH-47 Pilot During a rescue mission, we are responsible for ensuring that the crew are hooked up and possible mission insertion. So we went presents its own difficulties. All high attitude, inch thick. It is vital to maintain communica- I’ve been on flight status, crewing Chinooks correctly and hoisted down safely. There up. We had nine individuals in the back: para but the weather, winds and other variables tion and have good depth perception. We for 14 years. The Mount Hood rescue was is a lot of activity in the back during these rescue men from the Air Force Reserves change the dynamics. The flexibility of the try to have at least four guys operating in one of those weekend calls: come in, fly missions. And that’s one of the critical and some civilian climbers, and ultimately Chinook plays a huge part in the successful the back during these rescues: maintaining to Mount Hood, see what you could do, things about the CH-47, when this aircraft is we had to ensure that gear, packs, ropes achievement of each mission – it’s about airspace surveillance and ensuring crew provide the capabilities of high-altitude called upon to do a mission, it’s ready to go. and individuals stayed safe. During a rescue being able to change on the drop of a dime, safety. The maneuverability of the aircraft is performance and possible mission insertion. Much of this has to do with the experience mission, we are responsible for ensuring depending on the mission you are heading a huge variable in the rescue. In the Chinook So we went up. We had nine individuals of our guys, but it also comes down to the that the crew are hooked up correctly and into. n we can actually go left, right or forward in a in the back: para rescue men from the Air airframe and the support we have to get hoisted down safely. There is a lot of activity matter of feet and then hold that Force Reserves and some civilian climbers, these things mission ready. n in the back during these missions. And hover, and that is a huge vari and ultimately we had to ensure that gear, that’s one of the critical things about the CH- able to have such a stable 47, when this aircraft is called upon to do a platform. n mission, it’s ready to go. Much of this has to do with the experience of our guys, but it also comes down to the airframe and the support we have to get these things mission ready. n

CW 4 Doug Walker CW David Long up an IRF tank and a CH-47 and flew the Oregon Army National Guard, CH-47 Pilot Oregon Army National Guard, CH-47 Pilot 575 miles nonstop. Upon arrival, we were given the location of the climber. He was Where the Chinook succeeds is in its power. Some of the high-mountain rescues just above the tree line, in a box canyon It takes us about 60 percent to hover at encompass elevations anywhere from sea composed of granite and boulders. We had the higher altitudes, giving us the available level to 13,000 feet. We were called upon to approach the site in a manner that the power to maintain a large safety margin. We on a late Sunday evening and asked if we only escape route for us was vertically up, don’t lose power to a tail rotor as some of the could accomplish a mission down in Bishop, or to back out of the situation. We got within standard helicopters do and crosswinds do Calif. They had a stranded climber in the about 50 feet of the rock face, hoisted the not affect us. n mountains at 13,000 feet. Bishop is about climber to the cable and got him out of 575 miles away. That evening we planned there. n for the rescue and the next morning loaded 26 627

ountain R es c ue Photo: Portland M ountain twenty-six twenty-seSIX ven U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

TANDEM ROTOR SUPER SOAKER THE CHINOOK FIGHTS FIRES by Dmitry Chepusov, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay, Ga., Public Affairs

INGS BAY, Ga. (NNS) – minutes to douse the blaze. Kings Bay sailors assisted A National Guard unit based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, “When you were attacking the Kthe Georgia Forestry Com- Ga., provides air support with a CH-47 Chinook rigged with a fire head-on it was incredibly hot,” mission in a massive firefighting bucket capable of scooping up to 2,000 gallons of water every said Lay. “When the helicopter effort to extinguish an ongoing few minutes to help douse fires in the area. dumps 2,000 gallons of cold lake fire that destroyed nearly 500,000 water on the flames the effect is acres and displaced many area instant. It allowed us to move in residents. closer and attack the flame more A severe drought and strong directly.” winds fanned several major fires Although the submarine base that have burned in southeast is not in the path of the fire, Kings Georgia and northeast Florida Bay Commanding Officer Capt. since April 16. Mike McKinnon asked the installa- Although the fires were more tion’s community relations manag- than 40 miles west of the strategic er, Neil Guillebeau, to explore ways submarine base, the impact was in which the base could assist the felt by many on the base and in the firefighters. community. Working with local organiza- Fire departments from Camden tions and community relations County and from around the state contacts within the state through sent volunteers, many of whom e-mail, Guillebeau connected them were sailors assigned to Kings Bay directly with the commission’s joint to fight the fires. The volunteers information center in Waycross used their off-duty time to bring with a list of needs that included their department’s auxiliary trucks to assist in fighting Georgia’s bottled water, baby wipes and volunteers to help cook in the base largest forest fire to date. camps. “This fire was very exhausting to fight, but it also demanded a “The e-mail traveled rapidly to people and places I never lot of respect,” said Culinary Specialist 1st Class (SS) Jeffrey Lay, expected, and folks locally and from places 400 miles away a Kingsland volunteer firefighter. began mobilizing efforts to provide support,” said Guillebeau. “It is “Many of our younger firefighters had the opportunity to expe- uplifting to know that during that extended and difficult firefight- rience what it is like to deal with a real emergency. This fire is def- ing challenge people near and far are not only concerned about initely a once in a lifetime experience for many of us,” added Lay. our firefighters, they are continuing to chip in with prayers, money, According to the Georgia Forestry Commission, more than donations and volunteer time.” 900 firefighters and 100 fire trucks were on scene in neighboring The fires, after six weeks of burning, consumed more than Ware County at any given time. In addition, an Air National Guard 500,000 acres at a cost in excess of $55 million. More than unit based at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah provided much- 3,000 firefighters, some volunteering to come from as far away as needed air support with several CH-47 Chinook rigged with buck- Puerto Rico, are battling 36 active wildfires in southeast Georgia, ets capable of scooping up to 2,000 gallons of water every few with more fighting fires in adjacent northeast Florida.n 28 29

twenty-eight twenty-nine Che p usov Sp e c ialist S eaman App renti D mitry M ass Communi c ation Photos: U . S N avy U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

Chinook essential to ground troops by Pfc. Aubree Rundle, Task Force Pegasus Public Affairs

C Company, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division. Right: Troops make their way down a mountain to board a CH-47 at observation post Copenhagen, Afghanistan, to move to another Observation Post. Left: A soldier hooks two water palettes to a CH-47 to sling-load to soldiers at combat operation bases in northeastern Afghanistan.

ORWARD OPERATIONS BASE NARAY, Afghanistan – Pilots, These supplies are transported in CH-47s Chinooks by means crew chiefs and door gunners from B Company, 3rd General of sling-loading cargo underneath the aircraft or packing the FSupport Aviation Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade aircraft’s body with troops and supplies. A CH-47 can carry up to provided operational support to ground troops April 14, 2007. 10,000 pounds of cargo in one trip. Task Force Spartan’s team elements received combat supplies “Pegasus transports supplies almost weekly, keeping our and air assault assistance for Task Force (TF) Titan troops from soldiers well equipped and satisfied,” said Beckett. “If we don’t Pegasus and Bravo Company. receive a delivery of water, soldiers don’t drink water. Aviation “The soldiers from Co. C, 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, support is that essential.” 10th Mountain Division carry out movements throughout the north- “Whether it is mail, (ammunition) or food packs, whenever a eastern region of Afghanistan and rely on TF Pegasus to provide resupply helicopter arrives, especially before a mission, our team’s provisions and transportation to their mission locations,” said Army entire attitude changes for the better,” said Army Sgt. David Capt. Jeffrey O’Dell, Operations Commander, 3-17th Cav. Fischer, fire squad leader, Co. C, 3-17th Cav. “Getting mail out “Without roads developed in these mountain regions, it’s diffi- here is like Christmas Day.” cult to get supplies out to the combat operation areas,” said Army “This operation and location wouldn’t exist without the support Staff Sgt. George Beckett, logistics noncommissioned officer in that Co. B and Pegasus provide for our troops,” said O’Dell. n charge, Co. C, 3-17th Cav. The supplies that are transported by Co. B include ammunition, food and water, mail and combat equipment.

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Photos: U . S A rmy P fc u b ree R undle thirty thirty-one U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

air crews transport coalition forces by Spc. Daniel Bearl, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade Public AffAirs

IKRIT, Iraq (American Forces Press Service, Feb. 5, 2007) explosive device production facilities. For the aircrew, the – On Jan. 30, six CH-47 Chinooks touched down outside two mission was simply to get the troops in and out as quickly and Tvillages near Kirkuk, Iraq. Iraqi and coalition soldiers poured safely as possible. from the back of the aircraft before the double-bladed machines “This can be dangerous in itself, especially with so many lifted off again. aircraft involved,” said Sgt. Jesse Anderson, a crew chief for one The sun was just beginning to break the horizon as the heli- of the Chinooks from B Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Aviation copters flew back to a nearby coalition base to stand by to pick Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade. the troops up again, but their aircrews had already been working “There’s a lot of stuff flying around,” Anderson said, “so we for hours. got to keep alert, make sure we don’t fly into each other and The pilots and crewmembers of the aircraft had been prepar- watch out for obstructions on the ground. Coming in under gog- ing their aircraft and examining maps of their routes and objec- gles, kicking up dust is probably the most risky part of the opera- tives since shortly after midnight that morning. tion for us.” “(It was) pretty much a standard-type air assault that we do in Flying under goggles is when the pilots and crew operate the order to assist the Iraqi army (IA) in doing cordon and searches so aircraft in the dark using night-vision equipment to see. that the local populations can see that the IA is empowered and Working with Iraqi soldiers presents some challenges for can provide security for the local nationals in the area,” said the air crew. Before lifting off to take them to the villages, the Iraqi and coalition soldiers run to the back of a CH-47 Chinook that has just Capt. James Fisher, the commander of B Company, 3rd Battalion, crews and soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 6th Cavalry Regiment drill arrived to take them back to base. The helicopter is one of several crewed by 25th Aviation Regiment, 25th Combat Aviation Brigade whose unit with Iraqi soldiers on loading and unloading the helicopters. pilots and soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 25th Aviation Regiment that provided air provided the Chinooks for the mission. In the dark, just-above-freezing morning air, the troops prac- transportation to get the troops into and out of their objective. The ground troops’ mission was to establish a perimeter and ticed running onto the aircraft and taking their seats and then search the two villages for weapons caches or improvised rushing out again.

“You have a communications barrier and Despite the dangers and the challenges, the pilots and their the biggest thing you need to have is lin- crews say they enjoy their work. guists,” Fisher said. “I enjoy the fact that I get out and I actually execute the mis- Interpreters with Iraqi troops echoed the sion,” Fisher said. “It’s good to actually have job satisfaction and coalition soldiers’ orders in Arabic while the to know that you’re out there helping people and you’re getting troops trained. Once the ground mission was the job done.” completed, the Chinooks took to the skies again to re- “For me, I enjoy just getting up and going out and flying trieve the troops and bring them back to base. around,” Anderson said. “Sitting back on the ramp, it’s like The flights keep the aircrews very busy. watching the world through a big-screen TV. I love it.” n “We have to maintain the aircraft, make sure everything is good to go for the flights,” Anderson said. “And then we get airs up, go out and fly. We have to man our guns and maintain airspace surveillance.” viation Brigade Pu b li c Aff viation 32 33

at A Photo: 25th Com b at thirty-two thirty-three U.S. ARMY IN ACTION

Maryland National Guard WINTER help by Capt. David Magness, Maryland National Guard

AKLAND, Md. – Soldiers Almost all the members of and their helicopters from Maryland Army National Guard CH-47D Chinook from Company B, newly minted Company B were Otwo Maryland Army National 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, assists local authorities by new to the CH-47 and were not Guard aviation companies were hauling two giant pumps used to relieve pressure on a dam in the experienced in this type of mis- called out in early March to move western Maryland town of Oakland on March 7. sion. Combat veterans of the 29th pumps into position to drain water Combat Aviation Brigade and from an overflowing reservoir. Company C aided their Chinook Water from a 7.5-million-gal- brethren. lon reservoir in this small west- The helicopter crews rehearsed ern Maryland mountain town was for the mission by hauling a 4,000- pouring over an earthen dam, pound oil tank to the top of the threatening the safety of homes dam and carefully setting it down. and businesses downstream. Bea- After the pumps were in place vers had clogged the dam’s drain- and operating, the reservoir level age pipe so thoroughly that divers receded, allowing workers to un- could not clear it. To make matters clog the drainage pipe and avoid a worse, warmer temperatures were potential flood. forecast that would melt the snow “The training gained by de- pack and raise the water level. The ploying Company B will prove reservoir urgently needed to be instrumental to the war fight and drained of some of its water. to future emergency hurricane Soldiers from Company B, and flood missions in the United 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation and States,” said Col. Fritz Kirklighter, Company C, 2nd Battalion, 224th the 29th CAB commander. Aviation used CH-47 Chinooks to lift two 8,900-pound pumps into “This mission was a tremendous success,” said Kirklighter. place so they could begin draining the water and easing the pres- “Citizen-soldiers took time off from their jobs and families to help sure on the dam. UH-60 helicopters were also used in the their neighbors in need. We were needed to support the people operation. of Maryland, which also gave our soldiers better training to refine The helicopters and crews overcame several challenges, both our state and combat operation missions.” n including small landing and pickup zones with encroaching wires and buildings, unusual loads and nighttime operations.

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Thirty-four Thirty-five G uard A rmy N ational Photos: M aryland INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

While returning from their last drop-off, pit of ZA718 to commemorate his DFC. national Security Assistance Force units the crew of BN encountered heavy snow BN returned to the Falklands quite covering long distances and encounter- showers. Flying low and fast to reduce soon after the conflict, operating with No. ing difficult conditions. Based at Kanda- Bravo November their exposure to the enemy, they acci- 1310 Flight (Chinook), based at Kelly’s har airfield, Chinooks also are routinely dentally hit the water at over 100 knots. Gardens, near Port San Carlos. This flight forward deployed to Camp Bastion at JHF remembered On impact, a huge bow wave went over was formed from Nos. 7 and 18 Squad- (A) Forward undertaking Instant Response by patrick allen the top of the cockpit and the engines ron personnel, until amalgamated with Team and High Readiness Force duties, almost flamed out. With the collective in No. 1564 Flight (RAF Sea King HAR3s) to whilst other Chinooks undertake day-to- the raised position, and the engines going form No. 78 Squadron based at RAF Mount day tasking. into “pull” power, the Chinook lifted off the Pleasant. A typical day would see the Chinooks, n April 25, 1982, four Chinook HC1s and 100 personnel from With only one surviving Chinook, no engineering spares, tents water and only sustained limited damage, Since the Falklands Conflict, ZA718 has including BN (Chinooks operate in pairs to 18 (B) Squadron, under the command of Wing Commander or other supplies BN plus two aircrews (two pilots and two load ripping off the radio antennas, along with been updated to Chinook HC2 standards provide mutual support) departing Kan- OTony Stables embarked with the British Task Force to sail masters) and 17 engineers deployed ashore, they joined up with several dents in the fuselage and the loss and has seen action in every major dahar to deliver urgently needed humani- south to the Falkland Islands. 846 Naval Air Squadron who were flying Sea Kings from a forward of a cockpit window. The major concern operation the RAF has been involved, in- tarian aid (underslung netted loads) to The four aircraft, along with all their engineering spares and operating base at San Carlos. was the helicopter now had no naviga- cluding Lebanon in 1983, Northern Ireland, a forward distribution point deep within the majority of squadron personnel, were loaded onto the MV Almost immediately, the Chinook was tasked to support Spe- tion system or radios for the return to San the first Gulf War and Kurdistan in 1991. southern Helmand, immediately followed Atlantic Conveyor. As the ship approached the Falkland Islands, cial Forces patrols that had started to occupy Mount Kent, a stra- Carlos. It was the first British helicopter to land by a casualty evacuation to the field hos- the four aircraft, which had been cocooned in plastic for the jour- tegic location overlooking Port Stanley. These patrols were coming Squadron engineers did magnificent Royal Marines ashore in Iraq during Opera- pital at Camp Bastion. Once refuelled, the ney with their blades removed, were prepared for flight by the under heavy fire from Argentinean positions. On May 25, BN was work keeping the aircraft serviceable tion Telic (Gulf War 2). Squadron Leader Chinooks are retasked to move a 105mm squadron engineers. On May 25, 1982, the Atlantic Conveyor was tasked to move three 105mm howitzers (carried internally) and during the following vital two weeks, as Steve Carr, who flew ZA718 during Opera- light gun battery, ammunition and resup- due to enter San Carlos waters, but was hit by an Argentinean 22 men with under slung pallets of ammunition forward to support British Forces began their advance to Port tion Telic, later became the second pilot to plies to a remote forward location in the Exocet missile. The ship caught fire and sank with the loss of these Special Forces patrols. A difficult night task, even with the Stanley. The British 105mm guns relied be awarded the DFC at the controls of this mountains northwest of Kandahar. 12 lives. The passengers and Squadron personnel had to jump aid of recently issued night vision goggles, the mission was made on BN and other Navy helicopters to move aircraft. On the way back, the Chinooks deliver into the sea to await rescue. harder as the landing site was on sloping ground covered in large them forward, bring up supplies of ammu- Today, BN is operating on the front line mail, supplies and troops to a number of At the time of the attack, Chinook HC1, ZA718 with the squad- boulders. This meant that the pilots had to maneuver within range nition and take casualties back to the field again, this time deployed to Afghanistan as outposts at FOBs Robinson at Sangin and ron code BN (Bravo November) was airborne on an engineering of the enemy for long periods to find suitable locations to deploy hospital at Ajax Bay. one of the Chinooks operating with Gereshk and on to Lashkar Gah, before test flight. The remaining three Chinooks aboard the container the guns in exactly the right position for the gunners. Sea Kings The Chinook’s legendary status was No. 1310 Flight as part of Joint Helicopter heading back to Camp Bastion to refuel. ship were lost but Bravo November managed to make it to the subsequently brought up ammunition to supply the 105mm gun. confirmed when it flew 81 fully equipped Force (Afghanistan). They fly throughout Next they move company-strength marines safety of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. men from two PARA forward in a single the southern region of Afghanistan sup- from 42 Commando. lift to a position 10 miles from Port Stanley porting UK, Afghan and NATO-led Inter- This mission is to preposition the ma- before the final assault, then returning for rines prior to a major raid due to take place a second load. This time 75 PARAs were that night at Kajaki. Whilst this is taking carried, thereby saving many hours of The plaque inside Bravo November to com- place, IRT aircraft have been launched to marching. Between May 27 and June 14, memorate the role played by pilot Sqn Ldr recover an injured Afghan National Army BN flew a total of 109 hours; carried over Dick Langworthy during the Falkland War. soldier. Chinooks work long hours each 2,150 troops, 500 POWs, 95 casualties; day, which are often followed by night mis- and lifted in excess of 550 tons of cargo. sions. The operational capabilities of the All this was achieved with no spares, a Boeing helicopter continue to exceed all tribute to the squadron engineers who kept expectations. the aircraft flying. Squadron Leader Dick After 25 years of service, BN is still Langworthy who was at the controls of the proving to be a key player in supporting UK aircraft, during the night gun mission to military operations. n Mount Kent, was later awarded the DFC. Dick Langworthy returned to the Falk- lands a year later, as Officer Commanding 1310 Flight but sadly died of a heart at- tack. In his honor, the Air Force Board ap- proved the placing of a plaque in the cock-

Chinook (ZA718) Bravo November seen in April 2007 over The Red Desert on the way from Kandahar to Camp Bastion in Helmand Province Afghanistan 36 37

c k A llen Photos: Patri thirty-six thirty-seven INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Antares Regiment Helps honor Fallen Comrades

n Italian army Chinook was The star at an event to com- – 1st Army Aviation Regiment at Viterbo, the historical town known memorate army service men and women who gave their as the City of the Popes. The event was attended by a large crowd Alives in the service of their country. into Lake Bolsena, Eu- of enthusiastic visitors and by Lt. Gen. Rocco Panunzi (head of Ital- rope’s largest volcanic crater lake, some 60 miles north of Rome, ian army military personnel), Maj. Gen. Enzo Stefanini (Chief of the A chinook Released a commemorative plaque, to sink and lie for- Italian army aviation) and Col. Erminio Pierangelini, Commanding ever on the lake’s deep bed. Officer of the Antares regiment.n The helicopter then demonstrated its superb flying agility and made a lake landing, before returning to the base of the Antares

An Italian Army Chinook, left, prepares to release a plaque into Lake Bolsena. A large crowd turned out for the event.

38 39 thirty-eight thirty-nine Chinook News: What’s the current status of 298 Squadron? Chinook News: Dutch Chinooks already have some unique INTERNATIONAL features. How will the F-series Chinooks improve on those? FOCUS Hoitink: Because of all the experience and success we’ve had so far, we deployed again to Afghanistan in May 2007 for operations that will con- Hoitink: With the D-series, we have a very modern glass cockpit tinue at least until August 2008 and eventually some time longer, depend- that some countries are jealous of. With it, we can foresee parts of the Dutch Chinooks in high demand: ing on a political decision. That’s three Chinooks and 30 people in theater, flight – if we get a request for a change in mission, we can simulate it with redeployments every three to four months to give everyone a certain while flying. We tell it we need to be at this position to pick up this much amount of time back in the Netherlands. freight, the temperature is this, etc., and the Chinook will tell us if we can a conversation To sustain our work in Afghanistan, we’re constantly training the troops do the mission. That’s a huge advantage in harsh conditions and some with 298 Squadron commander who are about to go and reevaluating our training methods. Right now we nasty locations. We also have capabilities in protection against missiles have three Chinooks in Spain for training in hot temperatures and high alti- and radar – we came up with a solution we use in all our transport helicop- tudes. They’ll then go on to Italy for training in mountainous terrain. ters, airplanes and attack helicopters. All that will be brought forward into the CH-47Fs; plus we’re focused Chinook News: The Dutch Ministry of Defense signed a contract for on adding growth potential, expansion capabilities. If we need something Bart Hoitink six Netherlands-unique CH-47F Chinooks in February 2007. Will the to be added, it must be possible for it to be put on quickly. We’re moving by maribeth bruno squadron grow to match its increasing fleet size? toward using night sight instead of goggles. On the electronic warfare side, Hoitink: Last year we made some changes to our organization so that we we’re always looking at new possibilities – moving from more passive to can gradually increase the size of the squadron to 300 personnel by 2012 more active protection, for example. We’re conducting some test flights he Royal Netherlands Air Force’s CH-47D Chinooks have terberg or at Materiel Command in Woensdrecht. “It’s a precise or 2013. We’ll have the F-series Chinooks then and of course we need the now to determine the best placement for various sensors. seen the better part of the world while on deployment for all puzzle” to maintain optimum aircraft and personnel availability, pilots, loadmasters and technicians to operate them. Chinook News: Could you describe a memorable recent mission? Tbut one of their 11-plus years of service. Hoitink said. We currently perform corrective maintenance at Soesterberg and pre- The unique capabilities of both the Dutch Chinooks and the 180 Six new-build CH-47F (NL) Chinooks will be delivered to the ventive maintenance both at Soesterberg and at Materiel Command in Hoitink: There was fighting going on in a city in Afghanistan, during members of Operating Squadron 298 have created a high demand squadron in 2009–2010. They will include an Avionics Control Woensdrecht. But by mid-2009, a completely new maintenance squadron which Taliban forces had pushed out the Afghan police and army and inter- for their services in international crisis and relief missions in the and Management System cockpit avionics suite, an integrated will be established to perform all preventive maintenance on the Chinooks. national forces. So we were part of an assault operation over a couple days Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Iraq and forward-looking infrared capability, improved situational aware- That relieves 298 Squadron of that pressure and allows us to move from during which ground forces were supported by helicopters and protected Afghanistan, to name just a few recent deployments. The squad- ness and survivability features, special operations equipment and three to five flights of personnel to rotate into deployment. by Apaches and fighters. It required very quick transport of troops and ron supports the Dutch Air Mobile Brigade, NATO and United Na- a modernized airframe. There’s a huge demand on the Chinook. You can feel and see that supplies so they could go on with the fight. The city was held by the Tal- tions operations. Preparations for the new aircraft have increased Hoitink’s work- everyone’s very proud to be flying it. iban for just 24 hours before it was retaken, which the Afghans were very In June 2007, 298 Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Bart Hoitink load, but he noted that the purchase resulted from the squadron’s happy about. was overseeing the deployment of three Chinooks performing a success with its current fleet. “The ‘big truck’ has proven itself,” Chinook News: Do you plan to conduct the same kinds of missions Of course, all our missions are memorable – we’re operating at high variety of missions in Afghanistan, three more flying advanced he said. with the F-series Chinooks as you do with the D model? threat levels. I talk with the squadron members deployed to Afghanistan training exercises in Spain, two taking part in basic training and The following is an excerpt of an interview conducted with Lt. Hoitink: When we were in Afghanistan from 2005 to 2006 to prepare the every week, and they are on some breathtaking missions. When they tell test flights at Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands, with no Col. Hoitink in June 2007. road for NATO, that was more of a special forces mission, and during that their stories, you feel the tension and how much they rely on the Chinook more than two to three at a time in phased maintenance at Soes- time we lost two of our original 13 Chinooks – with no casualties. So when helicopter every day. n we were looking at the new builds – I was in the procurement office at headquarters then – we were looking for a little bit more capability to support special forces. But generally, we had had success with our D-series Chinooks and wanted more of the same, for humanitarian work and special forces support.

40 41

oyal N etherlands Photo: Provided b y R oyal forty forty-one INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

From Vietnam to Iraq to Afghanistan Army Reserve Air Warrior Continues legacy of Selfless Service by MAJ. Jerry Gray, U.S. Army Reserve Command, Aviation Directorate, Training and Standardization

n March 9, 2007, in Bagram, In 1996 he deployed for the Haiti Afghanistan, SSG James A. Staff Sgt. James A. Fleming is awarded Peacekeeping Mission. On Jan. 15, 2003, OFleming, an Army Reserve soldier a certificate for flying more than 5,000 SSG Fleming deployed to Balad, Iraq and with Chinook Company A, 7-158th Aviation flight-hours. he volunteered to redeploy to Afghanistan Regiment (The Yetis), received recognition in March 2006. from Brig. Gen. William H. Forrester, direc- Upon arriving in Iraq, SSG Fleming and tor of Army Safety, commanding general, A/5-159th Aviation Regiment, Army Re- United States Army Combat Readiness serve (CH-47D), moved 220 soldiers, 15 Center, for safely flying more than 5,000 Chinooks and 75 twenty-foot-long contain- flight hours as a crew chief and flight ers across 550 miles of Iraq without an engineer. incident. “Home” became an aircraft in SSG Fleming is one of the few if not the a bombed out hangar for the next three only flight engineer and Air Warrior who months. SSG Fleming flew approximately flew combat missions in Vietnam, Iraq and 90 missions and 350 combat-hours in Afghanistan. Over 75 percent of the unit Iraq. was not even born when Fleming joined When asked what he wanted or needed the Army on March 28, 1968. for all his selfless service to his country Everyone seems to ask Fleming the he replied: “All I need is to know I did my same question; “How can you serve on MSG I get to hover over a desk.” His war- job to the best of my abilities and that I Active Duty in the National Guard and the rior ethos is captured in selfless service provide my family, my grandchildren and Army Reserve for almost 40 years and only that is above and beyond the normal call of their children a safe and free country for all be an E-6?” SSG Fleming’s response is duty and worthy of emulation of all soldiers Americans to live. Freedom is not free, but easy for an Air Warrior to understand, “I sacrificing to support the Global War on it is a price that my wife and I have gladly get to fly as a staff sergeant. As a SFC or Terrorism. paid.” n

42 43

forty-two forty-three Photo S : U . A rmy R eserve INTERNATIONAL FOCUS FIRST to FLY A Profile of Boeing flight Operations by charles clough iii

light Operations is a multifaceted organization with a primary The department also is responsible for training and annual profi- mission to support various flight requirements for the CH-47 ciency evaluations of Boeing flight engineers. Fprograms. These include Experimental Flight Operations, Flight Operations is staffed with four pilots, two flight engineer Engineering Flight Operations and Production Flight Test. The de- instructors, one aircraft scheduler and a manager. These individu- partment performs worldwide support of aircraft deliveries, flight als represent more than 67 years experience with The Boeing training and program support. Flight Operations also supports new Company and more than 32,000 hours of flight time. n business development in the form of aircraft flight demonstrations.

LEFT: From left are Herman Richardson, CH-47 test pilot; Erik Kocher, senior pilot, Tandem Rotor Programs; Mark Schwerke, CH-47 test pilot; and Jack Jordan, CH-47 test pilot. ABOVE: Richardson and Jordan preflight a Chinook. 44 45

Photos Fred T roilo forty-four forty-five INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

Alabama Georgia Nebraska Pennsylvania Electro Systems Boeing Macon General Dynamics Bissinger & Stein PPG Industries Engineered Fabrics Container Research L3 Communications New Hampshire D&R Machine California Timken Aerospace Davidson Fabricating Barry Wright Corp Idaho Vibrometer Deco Sales Ducommon Aerostructures Inc. Unitech Composites Eaton Aerospace Esterline Mason New Jersey Ehmke Manufacturing Hamilton Sundstrand Illinois Bodine Tool & Machine Folsom Tool HR Textron Borg Warner Transmission Co. Inc. Fraccaro Industries Hydroform USA Northstar Aerospace Inc. Roller Bearing Company Hexcel Industrial Tectonics Bearing Corp. of America Inc. Lord Corporation ITT Industries Inc. Iowa RV Metals Inc. Moog Comp Le Fiell Manufacturing Rockwell Collins Olympic Tool & Machine Co. Loud Engineering & New Mexico Ruscomb Tool & Machine Co. Manufacturing Inc. Kansas Honeywell Engines US Metal Forms Meggitt Airdynamics Excell Manufacturing PacificC ontours Globe Manufacturing New York Texas Parker HannifinC orp. Plastic Fabricating Co. Inc. Amer. Aerso Controls Merritt Tool Co. TEAM CHINOOK Smiths Aerospace Senior Aeros Operations Arkwin Industries Marathon Norco Tuffer Manufacturing B&R Machine Skyline Industries Whittaker Controls Kentucky BAE Systems Controls Blue Grass Army Depot Flightline Electronics Vermont Colorado Fluid Mechanisms Inc. Goodrich Corp. supplynetwork Manes Machine & Engineering Maryland Genmech Aerospace Corp. Liquid Measurement Systems Bechdon Company Inc. Jamco Connecticut Harvard Custom Manufacturing Moog Inc. Washington Fenn Manufacturing Inc. MRC Bearings Inc. Page Aerospace HTD Aerospace Inc. MRA Systems Inc. Russell Plastics Technology Corp. University Swaging o deliver a superior heavy-lift aircraft, the Chinook Team Boeing and these suppliers support urgent needs for spares and Leed Corporate Services Smiths Aerospace must work together with a focus on efficiency, productivity repairs so the U.S. Army can keep pace with wartime operational Purdy Corporation Massachusetts Tactair Fluid Controls and the fiscal bottom line. Maintaining customer satisfaction tempo – providing parts needed to keep Chinooks in flight. AMETEK Telephonics Corp. T Delaware is a commitment Boeing and its network of suppliers continue to Many suppliers have been part of the Chinook program since be- honor. fore production of the first Chinook and others are coming on board Summit Aviation Michigan North Carolina In today’s global economy, the relationships forged between to provide technologies to be incorporated on the new production Aeroquip Fluid Con Frisby Aerospace Florida Model & Tools Inv Boeing and its suppliers facilitate the company’s ability to exceed variants of the H-47. Each Chinook supplier is valued for its unique Aerosystems International Inc. Ohio n customers’ expectations. contributions to the success of the Chinook program. Crestview Aerospace Corporation Minnesota Crane Company Team Chinook suppliers are a diverse group scattered across Pall Aerospace Corp. Rosemount Aerospace Inc. Goodrich Corp. the United States. In addition to providing parts, components and Shaw Aero Devices Inc. Smiths Aerospace specialty items to ensure that Chinooks are delivered on time, Mississippi Triumph Thermal Systems Inc. Eaton Aerospace

46 47

Photo: Fred T roilo forty-six forty-seven Photo: Fred Troilo at Ft. Campbell, Ky. Campbell, Ft. at based Assault), (Air Division Airborne 101st Brigade, Aviation Combat 159th Regiment, Aviation 101st Battalion, 7th (“Varsity”), Company Bravo is Chinooks CH-47F with equipped be to unit first Army’s The fleet. aviation Army’s the to addition latest the is 2007, late in unit operational first the to fielded and Army U.S. the by combat-ready certified helicopter, Chinook CH-47F Company’s Boeing The JOINS CH-47F ACTIVE The CH-47 Chinook continues to log impressive new milestones. new impressive log to continues Chinook CH-47 The U.S ARMY CHINOOK IN THE CH-47 FLEET forty-eight 48 CHINOO BRIEFS NEWS K NE WS after a demonstrationaftera 160thSpecialby Operations Aviation Regiment Soldiers Sunday. NASCAR’scrowdTheatofficial theKobalt MH-47Efeet asitsToolsexitsrises paceChinookcar500 a to 160th – delivery special NASCAR stationsSeptemberin 2007. technologynew featureDailythePlanet,on Canadian television newsshow,Canadianthatbeganon videointerviewmanagera inFortCampbell, at June 2007.CH-47FTheKy., inChinooka focus theof willbe 21st-century“TheCH-47Fa is aircraft 21st-centurythe for warfighter,” Eland,saidKenCH-47F program The Rotorcraftprogramoverview. Followingpresentations,the ChinookthetourV-22ofproductionand unittookathe lines received and a presentedseveralpilotsthewithCertificatesof Achievementof completingfor 1,000flight-hours Chinooks.in highlightBoeingthetourisannualour training.”of site,Eland,theKenWhileatCH-47F program manager, NationalGuard2007.July19,“Thisveryimpressivewas informative,”and CarinaRoselli.”TheLt.said1stL. PhiladelphiaThe visitsitehostedfromBravoCompany,a Battalion, 2nd 104thAviation, Connecticutthe of Connecticut missioncapabilities. avionicssuite,integratedan forwardlooking infra-red capability severalandother newly developed multi- CH-47F,willincludenext-generationa Honeywell Avionics ControlManagementand System(ACMS) cockpit productionpost-deliveryand supportChinooks.thefor Netherlands-unique The versionU.S.Armytheof Defensenew-buildsixforwas CH-47F (NL)aircraft. agreement,The providesnon-recurring for development, DirectTheCommercial Salesagreement DefensewiththeMateriel Organization DutchtheMinistryof of BoeingTheCompany firstitsinternationalhad CH-47FChinookaFebruary saleofinNetherlands. the 2007to First hits the small screen small the hits CH-47F International National ale of Sale Guard CH-47F isits Boeing Philadelphia Boeing Visits delivers SOAR

hinooks to Chinooks ace car pace Royal Netherlands forty-nine 49 Air Force

Photo: 160th Special Operations Photo: Jason Barras Photo: Jason Barras Photo: The Boeing Company Aviation Regiment Public Affairs CHINOOK NEWS BRIEFS

CH-47 PHOTOS & CAPTIONS Memorable images of Chinooks performing remarkable missions around the world

Soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) exit CH-47 Chinooks from Combined Joint Task Force 76 carry a CH-47 Chinook on Nov. 25, 2006, to conduct a search for troops and supplies over the rugged mountains of eastern weapons caches in Landikheyl, Afghanistan. Afghanistan on Feb. 5, 2007. gt. 1st Class D exter . Clouden P H oto: U . S A rmy gt. gt. 1st Class D exter . Clouden P H oto: U . S A rmy gt.

Spc. Tim Parson, from the 158th Aviation Regiment, keeps a Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd “Falcon” lookout aboard a CH-47 Chinook on the way to conduct a re- Brigade Combat Team exit a CH-47 Chinook after landing at supply mission for forward operating bases near the village of Camp Taji on Jan. 20, 2007. Naray, Afghanistan, on Jan. 5, 2007. ike Pryor M ike Pryor P H oto: U . S A rmy gt. gt. M i c hael L . Casteel ff S gt. P H oto: U . S A rmy p hoto ta

A soldier from Combat Aviation Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, is silhouetted against a blur of Baghdad city lights as he B Company, 2nd Battalion, 135th Aviation Regiment, 36th keeps vigil by the cargo door of a flying CH-47 Chinook Combat Aviation Brigade CH-47 Chinook prepares to conduct a on June 19, 2007. nighttime mission at LSA Anaconda, Iraq, on June 11, 2007. gt. R . A S teele ff S gt. P H oto: U . S A rmy p hoto ta Photo: U . S A rmy Spc R odney Foliente 50 51 fifty fifty-one Photos: Jason Barras The MH-47G is apowerhouse! is MH-47G The Sheet Metal Assembler Kirlin Hat” “The John them. maintain and fly who women and men the to out go Chinooks build who employees dedicated from words These world. the around customers for build they aircraft the about thoughts their share to produced, is Chinook CH-47 the where Philadelphia, in employees Boeing for tradition a become has It these few the from messages Here at the Chinook production factory factory production Chinook the at Here Chinook ManagerFactory for all youdo. for best very the youdeserve because can we aircraft best buildingwe very are the R andy Illum andy words from the dedicated peoplebuilding

factory Keep up the good work. good up the Keep us. for youdo all that I appreciate Sheet Metal Assembler Fisher John aircraft as you keep us here at home. at youkeep here us as aircraft our flying safe as youare I hope Sheet Metal Assembler R ich Bertolino Bertolino ich 52 fity-two CHINOO floor the chinooksinphiladelphiagoout BRIEFS K NE WS

that youdo. that all appreciate youand of I’m proud Manager, Chinook Flight Operations Jr. Coghlan Joe to those who serve

Photo: Fred Troilo The Boeing Company This publication is approved for public release worldwide. All information is in the public domain. Integrated Defense Systems SMD07-108720 Stewart Avenue and Industrial Highway Ridley Park, PA 19078