Vanguard Magazine

Aug/Sept 2014

Preserving capacity, General Tom Lawson, Chief of the Defence Staff, Keys to Canadian SAR

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A Air MoBiliTy Chinook helps transform tactical aviation by Chris thatcher 20 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 www.vanguardcanada.com Rise of the bAttAlion in late June, 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron (THS) took possession of its final CH-147F Chinook, completing delivery of a new fleet of one of the most technologically advanced medium-to-heavy li rotocra Boeing has ever built. i n a little over a year, the company has delivered 15 Chinooks to the recently reactivated squadron at Garrison Pet- awawa, providing what its new com- mander, Lieutenant-Colonel Chris McK- enna, calls a transformational capability. "That's a reflection of the impact this aircraft, in our normal order of battle, will have on the air force and the Canadian Armed Forces writ large," he said. D-model Chinooks may have been "workhorse" aircraft in Afghanistan be- tween 2008 and 2011, but they served a specific purpose. The multi-mission capa- bility of the F-model represents not only a tactical enabler for the Canadian Army, but also a new chapter for the Royal Ca- nadian Air Force as it transitions to de- livering a capability with extraordinary reach. "The Canadian CH-147F is all about providing capability for pilots and crew in support of multi-mission operations," said Charles Dipietro, Boeing's chief engineer for international H-47 programs. "[It's] the next generation H-47 platform. It's been engineered with larger fuel tanks. The aircraft's electrical system has been enhanced to deliver additional power and redundancy for aircraft systems. [And it] includes an integrated common avionics architecture system cockpit providing en- hanced mission management, mission aids and communications." In total, Canada made 30 modifications that differentiate the CH-147F from its U.S. Army counterpart. The most visible are the fat tanks, an extended range fuel system that provides approximately five additional hours of flying time or close to a 700-nautical mile range, double that of the standard model Chinook. "For a heli- copter that can carry a useful load of about 25,000 lbs (inclusive of fuel), that is in- credibly unique," McKenna said. However, the commander points to sev- eral additional features, not readily appar- ent at first glance, that set the Canadian

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