Chinook named as intended purchase through PWGSC Advance Contract Award Notice

[Cloud Cover]

Pretty good site on the various models of the Chinook, including the G model. 
http://www.chinook-helicopter.com/model_comparison/comparison.html


Surfing around the web pages contained at the link, it seems that Iran is operating at least 45 Chinooks in their army, and about 14 in their air force. In addition, they may have taken delivery of about 14 more from Agusta built under license around 1987. These were apparently built to replace a similar number built for the Shah's air force in the late 70's, but delivered to Egypt in light of the arms embargo in the early 1980's.  Iranian special forces separate and apart from the regular military seem to be operating these aircraft as well. Iran has completely reverse engineered the Chinook, and has access to a good supply of domestically produced spare parts. They have also added local modifications to improve performance and/or adapt to local conditions.

it would be interesting to know how far they have progressed with reverse engineering the Cobra, and what improvements and adaptations they have made to it.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Both of which I thought I saw in scenes of their war games footage.

 

[bison33]

The lastest...as far as 408 goes anyways.....2 Hgr can hold chinooks (folks have been in checking the place out for this) and plan A is for 408 to get up to 8 of these badboys while giving up a few of the griffons...but this will change 6,000 more times before hand, so in the end, who knows? But one thing I do know......JMO here, 428 Sqn should be stood up as a chinook Sqn, it has the baddest heraldic crest
http://www.rcaf.com/squadrons/400series/428squadron.php
I know, not a reason to stand up a Sqn but having a frigging goose on the crest is makes me think I'm an employee of Ducks Unlimited.

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

Very nice, but perhaps should be reserved for the AH were going to get.  Yes wishful thinking.

 

[bison33]

Very nice, but perhaps should be reserved for the AH were going to get.  Yes wishful thinking.

I hear ya there Quag........once we have the chinooks, someone is thinking (most likely some young drivers) that we should convert some of the griffons to gunships for escorting the chinooks........near pee'd myself when I heard that...but ya know, I could see our folks looking at this possibility, we have plenty of these birds and it's the Canadian way, modify something it was never designed for.

 

[Kirkhill]

we have plenty of these birds and it's the Canadian way, modify something it was never designed for.

In 1986 Bell produced the 412 Attack Helicopter (AH) based on the Bell 412SP. It is armed with a nose-mounted Lucas Aerospace under-nose turret fitted with a 0.50 calibre machine-gun. The gun is slaved into a helmet-mounted sight produced by Sperry and can fire up to 875 rounds of ammunition. The 412AH has a maximum speed of 220kph and can also be armed with air-to-ground rockets.

Military 412: Announced by Bell June 1986; fitted with Lucas Aerospace chin turret and Honeywell Head Tracker helmet sight similar to that in AH-1S; turret carries 875 rounds, weighs 188kg and can be removed in under 30 minutes; firing arcs ±110° in azimuth, +15° and -45° in elevation; other armament includes twin dual FN Herstal 7.62mm gun pods, single FN Herstal 12.7mm pod, pods of seven or nineteen 70mm rockets, M240E1 pintle-mounted door guns, FN Herstal four-round 70mm rocket launcher and a 12.7mm gun or two Giat M621 20mm cannon pods.

http://avia.russian.ee/helicopters_eng/bell_412-r.html

The original "gunships" were Huey UH-1s equipped with weapons.  The AH-1s followed on from there.
The ARH recently bought by the US to replace the Kiowa is a commercial 407 modified and armed.
If the 407 is a suitable candidate as a Recce and Fire Support platform and the USMC is still flying armed UH-1s in addition to their AH-1s (sometimes in the same flight) then why wouldn't a modified and armed 412, which has twice the lift capability of the 407 be a possibility?

 

[bison33]

Bad choice of words on my part...should have said "modify it then toss on other stuff making it near useless"

Granted, the 412 IF only modified as a gunship, would probably be a great platform. That means no mission kits (ie, no flir, searchlight, hoist, external tanks). But for a second do you think Canada would modify 412's with say, a chin mounted turret gun and perhaps some crv's would only carry the same? Hahahahahaha.....I'm doubtful. It would have other crap on it to the point of being near it's max up weight before fuel is tossed on board.  Maybe I'm a cynic but after many years in this outfit, I'll believe things when I see it.
The 412 is a decent VIP transport helo, nothing more. It is a hoot to fly around in but if we had gunships, we'd find a way to multi task them to the point of being near usless also.  Ahh....why bother, we'd never mod some for a gunship role anyways

 

[GAP]

Has not this gunships for Canada issue been thoroughly covered in a couple of other threads, ad nauseam?

 

[geo]

Ayup

 

[Kirkhill]

Affirm

 

[PMars]

[quote ]

In Hoc, yup she was fun to fly, that's for sure...for those who haven't flown it, guys will be quite surprized at its capability, especially including manoeuvrability!  Re: Wainright, I think the Western MOB for Chinook is pretty much a question of will 408 provide 146/147A capability as a composite unit, or will there be another unit (447?) stood up to assume the heavy lift role.  Frankly, we need clear direction from higher before we start situating an estimate about bed down options for the fleet.

Where do I see aviation heading, to be honest, there is so much uncertainty about structure specifics that it would be verging towards irresponsible for me to even publicly hazard a guess.  I think this is truly a case of "time will tell"!

Duey [/quote]

Duey, correct me if I'm wrong but I thought 408 was already a composite with Griffs and Sperwers. That makes it a composite utility helo and recce sqn.  Would adding 'Hooks and heavy lift to such a sqn complicate things?

As to final composition, I reckon six out to Afghanistan (assuming they arrive in time) and the balance in Canada in reserve and doing training. The crews would rotate but not necessarily the aircraft until they became due to for major depot inspection. I do not think all of them will be out west as the SOS (sp?)will need to train on them/with them.

As to delivery, the MOD did talk of speaking to allies to see if some could be spared for early delivery. Maybe CHAPS machines?

 

[Good2Golf]

PMars would be right, wouldn't he?  Isn't the CU-161 Sperwer on 408's charge, or is it just that they're supporting detachments in AFG?