MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New support arrangement for UK's Chinook choppers

A new contract that will transform the way in which logistics support is provided to the Armed Forces' largest helicopter has been awarded to the Boeing Company by the British Ministry of Defence.

The 34 year contract, worth almost £200m for the first five years, is expected to generate savings of some £170m over the life of the contract compared with current support arrangements.

MoD's current in-service fleet of 40 Chinook helicopters are used primarily for carrying troops and various other loads, both inside the helicopter or, in the case of equipment, underslung beneath the aircraft.

Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram said:

"The Chinook aircraft is a key asset on the battlefield, providing a unique support role that few other helicopters can match. It also plays a vital role in other critical situations, such as search and rescue operations and providing humanitarian aid most recently witnessed after the Pakistan earthquake last year.

"The UK operates the largest fleet of Chinooks after the US Army, so it is absolutely paramount that we establish a first rate logistics support regime for them. Until now, logistics support has been provided by traditional contracts which have used different suppliers for discrete packages of work.

"To create more effective support solutions for the Front Line, we need to develop a through-life approach to managing our capabilities, often partnering with industry where this can be shown to deliver improvements in performance, quality or long-term value for money.

"Under the new arrangements, Boeing will assume responsibility for the whole support function from which a number of benefits will flow, primarily reduced costs which is good news for UK taxpayers."

Under the Through Life Customer Support (TLCS) contract, Boeing will ensure that MoD has an agreed number of serviceable aircraft available at the Chinook main operating base, RAF Odiham. Boeing will achieve this by taking responsibility for the provision of spares and managing maintenance at Odiham and the depth maintenance hub at DARA Fleetlands, and through the provision of technical publications, technical advice and assistance, and the management of obsolescence.

The Boeing Company has been awarded the Through Life Customer Support (TLCS) contract under a non-competitive, single source strategic partnering agreement. It will provide through-life support for the Mk2 and Mk2a fleet to their current planned out of service dates of 2015 and 2025 respectively, although the intention is to fund a Chinook Sustainment Programme which, if approved, will extend both these dates to 2040.

MoD currently has a fleet of 40 Chinook aircraft in service (Mk2 and Mk 2a). They can carry up to 54 troops or 10 tonnes of freight, and the cabin is large enough to accommodate two Land Rovers, while the three underslung load hooks allow a huge flexibility in the type and number of loads that can be carried. It is a very capable and versatile support helicopter and has been involved in most of the recent UK operations. It can perform a variety of different roles:

? Support Helicopter (SH) - the tactical movement of troops, weapons, ammunition and support stores in the battlefield. ? Casualty Evacuation (Casevac) - removal of casualties and medical emergencies from forward areas. ? Search and Rescue (SAR) - the location and evacuation of people in emergency situations.

The Chinook Wing of the Support helicopter force, which forms the heavy-lift element of the Joint Helicopter Command, is based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire. Odiham supports three operational squadrons - No 7 Squadron, No 18 Squadron and No 27 Squadron - and the Operational Conversion Flight (OCF). One aircraft is also flown by No 78 Squadron from Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands on support helicopter tasks.

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