DTN News - UK DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Receives UK Contract For 14 New Chinooks

DTN News - UK DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Receives UK Contract For 14 New Chinooks

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada / RIDLEY TOWNSHIP, Pa., - August 23, 2011: Boeing [NYSE: BA] has received a $1.64 billion (£1 billion) contract from the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) to provide 14 new CH-47 Chinook helicopters and associated support for the first five years to the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The new-build CH-47 Mark (Mk)-6 Chinooks are part of the MOD's Strategic Helicopter Vision to modernize its helicopter force structure, and will expand the RAF fleet to 60 Chinooks.

"From the Falkland Islands to Iraq and Afghanistan, the RAF has operated Chinooks magnificently for many years in the most demanding environments," said UK Secretary of State for Defence Liam Fox. "These additional helicopters will significantly enhance our existing heavy-lift helicopter capability. This fleet will support our frontline troops in current and future operations for decades to come."

Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton echoed Fox, saying, "Chinook is an exceptionally capable helicopter that, in the hands of the very skillful RAF crews, has proved itself time and again in many operational theaters across the globe and is the backbone of the Royal Air Force's helicopter fleet."

The new aircraft will be produced at Boeing’s recently renovated Ridley Township facility near Philadelphia and are scheduled for delivery from 2013 through 2015.

"The Boeing Company has a long-standing and growing relationship with the United Kingdom, its military and its aerospace industry, and we are especially honored by the confidence the RAF has shown in the Chinook," said Mike Kurth, vice president and managing director, Boeing Defence UK Ltd. "We feel a special kinship with the RAF crews because our employees are working shoulder-to-shoulder with them to deliver capability to the frontline."

The CH-47 Mk-6 Chinook has a new, machined monolithic airframe with UK-specific avionics, forward-looking infrared radar, a rescue hoist, aircraft defensive systems, and interoperable communication and navigation equipment. The new helicopters will be compatible with the existing UK Chinook fleet.

"The performance of the Chinook in Afghanistan and Iraq, and in humanitarian efforts around the world, demonstrates its unique ability to meet the diverse mission requirements of the RAF," said Leanne Caret, Boeing vice president, H-47 Programs. "We are dedicated to continuing to deliver the advanced capabilities that the UK demands."

The RAF has operated Chinooks for more than 30 years in every major NATO engagement and on virtually every continent. The RAF established innovative procedures to operate its Chinooks in conjunction with other aircraft while performing troop transport, air assault, and medical evacuation missions. The RAF and MOD Defence Equipment and Support have worked closely with Boeing to implement performance-based logistics initiatives to increase the readiness of their Chinook fleet.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capabilities-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $32 billion business with 64,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

Contact:

Hal Klopper International Communications Boeing Defense, Space & Security +1 480-891-5519 hal.g.klopper@boeing.com

Tom Marinucci Mobility Communications Boeing Defense, Space & Security +1 610-591-7057 thomas.g.marinucci@boeing.com

Madonna Walsh Communications Manager Boeing Defence UK Limited +44 (0)20 734 01 933 madonna.a.walsh@boeing.com

*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing

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*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Begins Flight Testing UK Chinook Mk4

DTN News - DEFENSE NEWS: Boeing Begins Flight Testing UK Chinook Mk4

Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Boeing

(NSI News Source Info) LONDON, UK - January 24, 2011: Boeing [NYSE: BA] and its Boeing Defence UK subsidiary today announced that the Boeing UK Rotorcraft Support team has begun flight testing the first Chinook Mk4 helicopter for the Royal Air Force (RAF). The first flight took place on Dec. 9 in Hampshire, England.

"Project JULIUS, as the Mk4 program is known, will modernize the current Royal Air Force Chinook fleet – essentially giving us new aircraft," said Chris White-Horne, Mk4 project team leader for the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence.

Project JULIUS will modify 38 Mk2/2A Chinooks into the Mk4/4A configuration and eight Mk3 Chinooks into the Mk5 configuration. All the aircraft will be delivered to RAF Odiham in Hampshire.

A major part of the modification for both the Mk4/4A and Mk5 aircraft is the Thales TopDeck cockpit. Thales UK is under contract with Boeing to supply its Cockpit Display System/Mission Avionic System, which will provide improved situational awareness, increased safety and options for capability enhancement. The upgraded and integrated cockpit display includes four multifunction displays, two stand-by flight displays, updated communications interfaces, and two new air data computers.

"The first of the modified JULIUS Chinook helicopters is expected to be available to commanders before the end of 2011," said David Pitchforth, managing director, Boeing UK Rotorcraft Support. "The entire Mk2 fleet will be fitted with the JULIUS cockpit by early 2015, followed by Mk2A and Mk3 modifications by 2015 and 2016, respectively."

The modifications also include the addition of a third crew-member seat and an update of Airworthiness & Safety Certification and Qualification for the modernized Chinook. The aircraft are being modified at the Gosport Fleetlands facility operated by Vector Aerospace, Boeing's principal subcontractor for deep support of the RAF Chinook fleet. Vector Aerospace has established a dedicated production line at Fleetlands to support the JULIUS program, with specialist component manufacture provided from its Almondbank facility near Perth, Scotland.

"Vector Aerospace is delighted to be associated with this significant milestone. It is a testimony to the skill and dedication of our teams in Fleetlands and Almondbank, who have worked in a spirit of true partnership with our customer Boeing and the key equipment suppliers," said Tim Rice, managing director, Vector Aerospace UK.

A wholly owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company and a business unit of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, Boeing Defence UK Ltd. currently has employees at 20 locations throughout the UK supporting Ministry of Defence and U.S. military programs.

Boeing UK Rotorcraft Support, working with Boeing Global Services & Support's Rotorcraft Support business, is focused on providing increased capability to the United Kingdom’s military rotorcraft fleet. Supported by Boeing Defence UK, UK Rotorcraft Support has employees in Afghanistan, the UK, and the U.S., supporting Royal Air Force Chinooks and British Army Air Corps Apache fleets.

A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is one of the world's largest defense, space and security businesses specializing in innovative and capability-driven customer solutions, and the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of military aircraft. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Defense, Space & Security is a $34 billion business with 68,000 employees worldwide. Follow us on Twitter: @BoeingDefense.

Contact:

In the UK Madonna Walsh Boeing Defence UK +44 (0) 20 7340 1900 madonna.a.walsh@boeing.com

Nick West Boeing International +44 (0) 20 7340 1900 nick.west@boeing.com

In the U.S. Bob Algarotti Boeing Global Services & Support +1 314-777-0707 robert.a.algarotti@boeing.com

*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News, contact: dtnnews@ymail.com

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DTN News: Britain To Upgrade Chinooks in Afghanistan

DTN News: Britain To Upgrade Chinooks in Afghanistan *Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) ODIHAM AIRBASE, England - September 24, 2009: Britain announced September 24 a 408-million-pound upgrade for its Chinook helicopters in Afghanistan, following criticism of a shortage of air power there. The Chinook is a multi-mission, heavy-lift transport helicopter. Its primary mission is to move troops, artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, barrier materials, supplies and equipment on the battlefield. Its secondary missions include medical evacuation, disaster relief, search and rescue, aircraft recovery, fire fighting, parachute drops, heavy construction and civil development. The 38 aircraft will be fitted with more powerful Honeywell engines and more advanced digitized cockpits, to enable them to work more effectively in high altitudes and extreme temperatures in Afghanistan, officials said. The $660 million (445-million-euro) upgrade to the twin-rotor heavy lift choppers will notably allow them to fly longer without refueling, and to spend longer on the frontline without needing to be serviced. "The Chinook is the cornerstone of our helicopter support effort in Afghanistan," said junior defence minister Quentin Davies. "These improvements will increase its capability and ensure it can play an even more valuable role in supporting our forces and NATO coalition allies in tackling insurgency in Afghanistan," he added. Claims of a shortage of helicopters were at the center of a political row over inadequate equipment for the armed forces amid a surge in the British death toll in Afghanistan earlier this year. Prime Minister Gordon Brown has defended the government's strategy in Afghanistan, after British forces have in recent months suffered their highest casualty rate since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2001. The surge in deaths to more than 200 has been in particular due to an increase in roadside bombs planted by Taliban insurgents - critics claim such casualties could be lowered by using helicopters more to move troops. Last month two British Chinooks were lost within days of each other, when one crash landed and had to be destroyed to prevent it falling into enemy hands, while another was hit by enemy fire and exploded.

DTN News: UK To Spend £6 Billion On New Helicopters, Puma And Chinook Fleet Upgrades

DTN News: UK To Spend £6 Billion On New Helicopters, Puma And Chinook Fleet Upgrades

*Source: DTN News / Defense Media (NSI News Source Info) LONDON, U.K. - July 17, 2009: In response to today’s report by the House of Commons Defence Committee into helicopter capability, Secretary of State for Defence Bob Ainsworth said:

“We are doing all that we can to get more helicopters to our forces in Afghanistan. We have almost doubled helicopter hours, together with increasing the number of helicopters for operations. The deployment of the Merlins to Afghanistan will mean a further 25% rise in helicopter hours from the end of the year. We are investing £6 billion over the next decade in our helicopter capability. But I will make sure that we will keep looking to see what more we can possibly do.

“However it is not just about buying helicopters, as the report acknowledges. It is also about investing in the training of pilots and ground crews and increasing the availability of spare parts to maintain them. We have made great strides in both to ensure we can improve the helicopter availability for our forces both quickly and sustainably.”

Following a review, the MOD decided that it is not feasible to advance the purchase of the Future Medium Helicopter and forego the Puma Life Extension Programme, without placing unacceptable risk on operational commitments. Our principal responsibility is to our forces on operations.

The planned life-extension of Puma helicopters will give them a major overhaul, with new engines, cockpit and avionics worth more than £300M, to provide a step change in its capability and deliver safety improvements. We are continuing to assess how we can best continue to deliver the capability currently provided by Sea King Mark 4.

The MoD will now consider in detail the Committee’s conclusions and recommendations on all aspects of helicopter capability, and publish our full response in due course.

BACKGROUND NOTES:

-- Following the completion of its role in Iraq, the Merlins will re-deploy to Afghanistan from the end of this year. Earlier deployment is not possible as we need to ensure our Merlin crews are adequately trained to operate in the challenging conditions of Afghanistan.

-- We are converting the eight Chinook Mk3 helicopters to a support helicopter role. Three will be available for training by the end of this year, enabling the first increase in deployed Chinook numbers from summer 2010, subject to operational requirements at the time.

-- We have also taken steps to increase the robustness of our existing helicopter fleets, including through the purchase of the six new Merlin helicopters from Denmark at a cost of around £175M. These are all now in service, increasing the size of the Merlin fleet by 25%.

-- We have carried out extensive modifications to improve the operational capability of our helicopters, including fitting new rotor blades to some of our Sea King Mk4s in order to allow them to operate effectively, which are performing very well in Afghanistan. And we are now spending around £140M putting more powerful T800 engines into 22 Lynx Mk9 helicopters which, for the first time, will mean that we will have a year-round capability from October 2009. -- Since Nov 06 we have increased the number of Apache and Chinook flying hours available each month to commanders in southern Afghanistan by 42% and 50%.

-- 15 Chinooks are currently fitted with the improved 714 engine. We have just approved £128M funding to fit the rest of the Chinook fleet with these engines, increasing their ability to operate in the ‘hot and high’ conditions of Afghanistan and providing important flight safety benefits. This programme will start to deliver effect from 2012, with all helicopters fitted by 2014.

-- We will spend around £3.5Bn on 120 new helicopters over the next 10 years and some £2.5Bn on upgrading 200 more. We also lease 67 helicopters at a cost of some £50M per annum.

-- We intend to take forward a significant programme to upgrade the Puma medium support helicopter with new engines and modern avionics. This will greatly enhance the capability, making it one of our very best-performing helicopters in the hot and high conditions in Afghanistan.

-- New procurement programmes include the Future Medium Helicopter which will, on current plans, start to replace the Sea King Mk4 and Puma from 2017 and 2022 respectively.

DTN News: British Forces With Afghan Army In Joint Operation To Eliminate Narcotic Trade

DTN News: British Forces With Afghan Army In Joint Operation To Eliminate Narcotic Trade

*Source: DTN News

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - June 11, 2009: In this image made available by the Ministry of Defence in London, Monday June 8, 2009.

British soldiers of the The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, deploy from a Chinook helicopter in the desert of Afghanistan's Upper Sangin Valley, Sunday May 31, 2009, at the start of a joint operation with the Afghan National Army, to search compounds and destroy drug caches and narcotic manufacturing facilities.

The operation destroyed ten narcotic manufacturing facilities, and as well as the opium, it netted 220 kg of morphine, more than 100 kg of heroin and 148 kg of cannabis.

£650 Million Royal Navy Warship Arrives In Portsmouth

£650 Million Royal Navy Warship Arrives In Portsmouth

(NSI News Source Info) January 29, 2009: The Royal Navy's newest warship, built at a cost of £650 million, sailed into its home port for the first time today. HMS Daring, the world's most advanced destroyer, was officially handed over to the navy last month after work was completed at the BVT Surface Fleet's Scotstoun shipyard on the Clyde, Scotland. The 7,350-tonne ship will be the first of the Royal Navy's series of six Type 45 destroyers. Daring was met at Portsmouth Naval Base, Hampshire, by a 15-gun salute as well as by families and friends of the ship's company. Hundreds of members of public also lined the harbour walls to welcome the ship. The ship features the latest propulsion, anti-aircraft weapon and stealth technology. The Type 45 destroyers have nearly twice the range - about 7,000 miles - and are 45% more fuel-efficient than the Type 42 destroyers they are replacing in the £6 billion project. It is capable of sailing 3,000 nautical miles, operating for three days and returning home without the need to refuel.

Daring, the first of the Royal Navy's new Type 45 destroyers, entered and berthed in her home port of Portsmouth today for the first time, witnessed by hundreds of well-wishers.

The ships are to be armed with a new hi-tech missile system renamed today as the "Sea Viper", formerly known as the Principal Anti-Air Missile System (Paams). The Sea Viper system, in conjunction with the ship's Sampson Radar system, is capable of tracking hundreds of targets as far as 250 miles away and engaging up to 10 of them simultaneously. Daring can operate various helicopters, including the Chinook, embark 60 Royal Marines and is able to accommodate up to 700 people as part of an emergency evacuation. It has a crew of 191 and generates enough electricity from its gas and diesel engines to power a city the size of Leicester. The ship has been fitted with improved accommodation for ratings include larger bed spaces and less beds per room than previous destroyers. Daring was launched from BVT's facility in Scotstoun by the Countess of Wessex in January 2006. Since then it has undergone three sets of contractor sea trials. It will now undertake an intensive sea trials programme for the rest of the year, with a formal commissioning ceremony due to take place in the summer with a target of formal acceptance into service by late 2010. A flypast by Royal Navy and RAF aircraft took place as Daring entered Portsmouth Harbour. Quentin Davies, minister for defence equipment and support said: "HMS Daring is one of the most advanced ships ever built and along with the five other Type 45s will be one of the essential pillars of the Royal Navy in the 21st century. "Today is a special day for the Royal Navy, the city of Portsmouth and her dockyard, the crew of HMS Daring and all those involved in building her, as one of the most powerful warships in the world enters her home port for the first time. "It is with great pride that I have been able to witness the first arrival of HMS Daring into Portsmouth today." Defending placing such a large investment into a single warship, Mr Davies added: "This is a very flexible warship and I can see her as being of immense use to the defence of the nation in a variety of scenarios. "She is not a one-trick pony, she is the opposite of that." Speaking of the missile system, Mr Davies said: "The newly named Sea Viper, a world-leading missile system will allow the ship to detect her prey, target it and issue a deadly strike." Daring's commanding officer Captain Paul Bennett added: "Daring is a good-looking, large capability platform. She is an illustration of the talent and capability of British shipbuilding. "Today provides a fitting opportunity to mark the first entry into Portsmouth of a new class of destroyer for over 30 years. "It's been a fantastic event to mark the passage of this great warship into her home port and we look forward to a successful year of sea trials before embarking on operations."

Upgraded Raiding Craft For Royal Marines / Marines' Raiding Craft Is Up-Armoured and Up-Gunned

Upgraded Raiding Craft For Royal Marines / Marines' Raiding Craft Is Up-Armoured and Up-Gunned (NSI News Source Info) January 26, 2009: Royal Marines from 539 Assault Squadron put on a display of their latest up-armoured and up-gunned Offshore Raiding Craft in the choppy waters of Plymouth Sound yesterday, Thursday 22 January 2009. Royal Marines demonstrate their new up-armored and up-gunned Offshore Raiding Craft in Plymouth Sound.

The Marines, whose traditional role has always been to maintain law and order on the high seas, put the new mid-console variant of their Raiding Craft, known as the 'racing car' of the amphibious fleet, through its paces at speeds of more than 20 knots.

The Royal Navy has a large amphibious fleet and the Raiding Craft represent the smallest and most manoeuvrable elements of this fleet. Their role is to allow Royal Marines from the fleet to close with the enemy either at sea or on land. With the latest upsurge in piracy this role could not be more pertinent.

But protection is just as important to maritime equipment as it is to equipment used in the land environment, especially when undertaking dangerous engagements such as intercepting potential pirates. And the new craft have been designed following experiences in southern Iraq, when Marines came under attack from local insurgents, with improved armour and more firepower added.

Colour Sergeant Baz Fowler gave his thoughts on the new craft:

"The main difference for me is that there is better all-round visibility from the craft. We now have 360-degree arcs of fire all round, which we can bring down to within a metre of the craft. In a river or sea environment we can produce intimate fire support close in. Modifications have added weight to the craft but the fire support we can now provide is a good trade off." Manufactured by Holyhead Marine in Anglesey, the lightweight air transportable boats are powered by twin Steyr diesel engines linked to Rolls Royce waterjets. They cost around £200,000 each, can be carried by C-130 Hercules aircraft or underslung beneath a Chinook helicopter.

The new craft carry a crew of seven, with two coxswains now situated in the centre. Two gunners are at the front, using twin general purpose machine guns, while there are three more gunners on the stern, two on the guns, one on fire control: "For the two coxswains aboard, the craft gives better protection all round," says Lance Corporal Tom Lockyer.

"And having them further forward has given them better visibility. It will be fantastic when we start using the craft for what they were designed to do."

At the stern the craft carry more general purpose machine guns along with 0.5-inch calibre heavy machine guns or grenade machine guns depending on mission requirements:

"This is a good bit of equipment," says Captain Matt Pinckney. "It is very manoeuvrable and ideal for what we need to do. It moves at 20 knots one minute, and then can stop dead still to allow us to lay down effective fire.

"Royal Marines' landing craft are always at the forefront of military operations in the river environment. Now we have a much greater capability to take the fight to the enemy. The guys can feel very confident of going into these areas to complete the tasks they have been set. "There was a sense of urgency after Operation Telic where there was a huge threat environment and we needed more armour and firepower. Equipment is improving all the time with investment from the Government. Royal Marines are training to go into any situation – we can now go in and do an even better job."

Introduced into service in 2005, the Raiding Craft have proved a success in the squadron's tasks of landing from sea on hostile shores and providing support and reconnaissance to other UK forces in the river environment.

Two of the new fast craft will be debuted on Exercise Taurus in the Far East in February:

"Our initial feedback is that we are certainly heading in the right direction," continues Colour Sergeant Baz Fowler. "The craft and its weapons systems have never been in doubt. It's now a case of putting them all together in operational use."