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Aviation History
1991
1991 - 0010.PDF
OPERATIONS: DEFENCE RAF deploys Chinook gunships to Gulf BY MIKE GAINES The Royal Air Force has de ployed extensively modified Boeing Chinook HC.ls to Saudi Arabia. The aircraft have been fitted with a pair of pintle-mounted 7.62mm mini-guns in the for ward door and the forward-port window. The multi-barrel Gatling-type guns, each capable of firing 6,000 rounds/min, are fitted with "drainpipes" to collect ex pended shell cases. The pipes run externally down the fuse lage sides and end under the fuselage where the cases are dropped clear. The UK Ministry of Defence confirms that RAF Pumas are being fitted with door-mounted mini-guns. The Chinooks are fitted with the ALQ-T56 infra-red jammer (also fitted to RAF C-130s), mounted under each engine ex haust. Engine intakes are fitted with sand filters. A box-shaped infra-red-decoy flare dispenser is on each side of the fin and chaff-dispenser boxes are fitted half-way along the sponsons. The Chinooks have also been fitted with an enhanced-accu- racy navigation suite with global positioning satellite receivers matched to a Racal RNS252 "Super TANS". The communi cations suite has Have Quick secure-speech radios and satel- A 7Sqn Chinook, before the guns were fitted, showing (A)Infra-red flare launcher (B) Mounting brackets for the ALQ-156 Infra-red jammer (C) Intake filter (D) Chaff dispenser lite-communications transceiver installed. The Chinooks are being shipped on HMS Atlantic Con veyor. On board also are about ten Puma helicopters to join the 15 already at Ras Al Ghar. The Royal Navy has dis patched 12 Sea King HC.4 troop carriers on Atlantic Conveyor. These helicopters represent the total strength of 845 and 848 squadrons and, with the earlier deployment of 846Sqn, all the Navy's front-line support heli copters have been deployed. The Mk.4s have been fitted with IFF Mode 4, engine-intake sand filters and infra-red jammers. Two 826 Sqn Sea King HAS.5s sent out with RFA Olna have had their sonar equipment removed and are operating in the surface-search role from the Dutch replenishment oiler, HMNLS Zuiderkruis. Five RN Lynx are in the Gulf, one each aboard Cardiff, Gloucester and London, and two on Brazen. , The RAF commitment now stands at a squadron of Jaguar GRTs and Tornado GR.ls at Muharraq, Bahrain; a "squad- ron-and-a-half" of Tornado F.3 interceptors and an HS. 125-800 at Dharan, Saudi Arabia; a squadron of Tornado GRTs at Tabuk in north-west Saudi Ara bia; the Pumas at Ras Al Ghar and Nimrod MR.2s at Seeb, Oman. • INFRA-RED-JAMMER LANTERNS FOR LYNX HMS Brazen, deployed in the Gulf, has had its Westland Lynx modified with a pair of infra-red-jammer lanterns mounted above the crew doors, and a bolt-on package of three chaff/flare launchers on the ventral tailboom/fuselage break. Lhere is also evidence of extra wiring to the weapons pylons, indicating a new weapon/store capability beyond the usual Sea Skua missile, Stingray torpedo or Yellow Veil ECM pod. Sea King HCAs have been fitted with infra-red jammers mounted on the fuselage*stdes above the main-landing gear. Just discernible behind the 7.62mm machine gun on the portbridge wing is a Laser Dazzle Sight. Army Air Corps joins Gulf force The British Army's 1st Ar moured Division in the Gulf has deployed its own anti tank helicopters. A total of 23 Westland Lynx Mk7s and 23 Westland Gazelle AH. Is from the Army Air Corps' 4 Regiment in Germany have been snipped out. Five of each type have been drawn from the war mainte nance reserve. Until now, the 1st Armoured Division has had to rely on the US Army to provide McDonnell Douglas AH-64A Apache and Bell AH-1G/S Cobra anti-tank helicopters. The Lynx will be armed with TOW anti-tank mis siles. The Gazelle is also be lieved to have been armed, pos sibly with pods of unguided rockets. Sand filters have al ready been fitted to the Gazelles and will be fitted next to the Lynx. • CASUALTIES COLOMBIA A Colombian Army Sikorsky UH-60 BlackHawk crashed on approach at Melgar AB on 12 December, killing all seven on board. UNITED STATES A US Navy Grumman F-14 Tomcat crew ejected on take off from USS Forrestal after a soft catapult shot off Florida. The pilot landed on deck, but the radar intercept officer be came entangled with the su perstructure. Both escaped the 18 December accident with minor cuts and bruises. ISRAEL Five Israeli Air Force officers were killed on 13 December when their IAF Cessna 206 crashed immediately after take-off from Ramon AB on a night flight to Tel Aviv. FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 2 - 8 January, 1991
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