Puma -v- Blackhawk

[IanMorewood]

ITV news blubing about us not buying 56 Blackhawks for use in Afghanistan. Your views?

[Oily Nails]

56 Blackhawks...super...

So now we just need

• 112 trained pilots/co-pilots
• 56 loadmasters/cabin operators
• 280 qualified ground staff (guessing about 5 persons per aircraft)
• and more than a few C5 loads of spares

Fancy its just ITV flogging a fading news story.


and yes I know that the boys/girls out there NEED them, but the media is gonna just start trawling the heli-trader (autotrader for whirlybirds ) over the next few months going;

"LOOK LOOK LOOK! we found 38 Hinds going cheap in Turkmeni-can't-buy-a-horse-stan, and its the MOD's fault for not equipping our boys with them"



night from me then

[fathomfive]

Is there even space in the hanger next to the Chinooks we bought but can't use to store the Blackhawks while we argue with the US over software?


Edited to put the correct smiley on the end.

Edited by fathomfive on Wednesday 5th August 12:41

[Taffer]

Oily Nails said:

56 Blackhawks...super...

So now we just need

• 112 trained pilots/co-pilots
• 56 loadmasters/cabin operators
• 280 qualified ground staff (guessing about 5 persons per aircraft)
• and more than a few C5 loads of spares

Fancy its just ITV flogging a fading news story.


and yes I know that the boys/girls out there NEED them, but the media is gonna just start trawling the heli-trader (autotrader for whirlybirds ) over the next few months going;

"LOOK LOOK LOOK! we found 38 Hinds going cheap in Turkmeni-can't-buy-a-horse-stan, and its the MOD's fault for not equipping our boys with them"



night from me then

AFAIK the US offer was to include type famil training for aircrew and groundcrew (over in the States presumably), and spares supply, and it would still be of similar cost to the Puma upgrade. It's not an instant fix, and would still take several months to implement though.

As for the Russian-made helicopters - some of our aircrew are flying Mi-8/17 Hips, but it's not the kind of work which gets heavily publicised if you get my drift.....nudge nudge, wink, wink, say no more, etc.