SeaKingTacco said:
I highly doubt it. I just rechecked my copy of HOSTACs (NATO helicopter operations for ships other than Aircraft carriers) and no Canadian Ship is certified for the Chinook. During Op Apollo, Canadian Ships did receive certification for the Sea Knight, however.
There are two main problems with Chinooks at sea. The first is that Canadian Flight decks are only stressed for about 25,000lbs, which is not good when you consider an empty Chinook weighs in at around that mark. A full one tips the scale at about 50,000lbs (by comparison, a fully loaded Sea King weighs in at 20,500 lbs. A deck weight limit is probably fixable with a refit (or in the design of a new ship class) and it is something we will have to do any way so that the frigates can finish their lives with CH-148 Cyclones onboard.
The second problem with Chinooks is that they are not, and have never been, marinized. This is not inconsequential. Even fully marinized helos such as the Sea King (which are built in the factory with special paints coating construction techniques which limit the damage a humid and salty environment will have on an aircraft) still require an awesome amount of attention at sea to prevent corrosion or avonics problems. Anecedotal evidence from the UK and US military has suggested to me that they were not all that happy with the results of operating Chinooks from ships, because they were not designed to be operated in that environment. This also is to say nothing of the lack of an automatic blade folding system...
I hope that before we rush headlong down the "Chinook road", with an intention of operating them from ships, that we (I mean DAR in Ottawa) do some basic research about just how well that would actually work.
Just my two cents worth.
SKT, "certification" and "it being done" are two different things -- I recall looking through 450 Sqn's history books and distinctly recall pics of a hook on an AOR...couldn't tell you if it was Provider, Preserver, Protecteur...I think it was some time in the mid-80's.
Re: deck loading on CPF...what is the load factor for the flight deck, i.e. Lbs/Sq.ft.? I would venture to say that a Sea King at AUW being hauled down by the bear trap will exert a wee bit more than 25,000 lbs...even a 1.5G downhaul would exceed 25,000lbs absolute, would it not? A Chinook spreads its maximum 55,000lbs over six tires, four mounts, in fore/aft pairs spread 40 ' apart. 30,000lbs for weight on main mounts of an S-92...I think you'll see where I'm heading with this one...
"not marinized".....I think you meant to say "not FULLY marinized"...I would venture to say that with about 5 hours of time dipping, swimming, casting zodiacs, etc... in the water, I have more time with a helicopter sitting in the water...both fresh and salt water than many if not most Sea King guys. Seeing 406 taped up flailing around the Bedford Basin, folding blades aside, makes me really wonder how "marinized" the SK actually was. ??? The entire lower half of the 'Hooks fuselage is zinc chromated. Freshwater wash for engines and the fuselage would be done to a SeaKing/Cyclone as well, would it not. So the real issue is whether auto/self-powered blade foldeing is an essential or only a highly-desireable requirement -- also, what will the shipborne CONOPS be?
UK, US not happy? That's funny, I have the US JSHIP report and have spoken with 3/160 guys who were quite content with op'ing off ships...well, them and the OH-58D guys.
SKT, have no fear...the DAR 9 guys are very aware of the issues.
So, what does this all mean?
Well....here's my take on the whole issue. We (me and my 47 buds) will be so busy flying our arses off 350km South of where I am right now, as well as supporting "other units" in Canada, that we won't even be used as part of the SCTF and we will rarely, if ever, operate from an HMCS the way some people appear to be expecting us to. Personally, I think that the SCTF Comd will just have to make do with the CH148 and its "fully marinized but lacking in other significant areas" capability when it comes to lifting troops off the big honking ship and taking them inland.
My 1 Afghani (=2 ¢)
Cheers,
Duey