Chook boost

Flare affair: 5 Avn Regt Chinooks drop flares on a flight in the MEAO during Op Falconer in 2003.

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

ARMY’S fleet of six Chinooks will undergo a $25 million upgrade to fit them with advanced electronic warfare self-protection equipment, improved ballistic protection fittings and new communications.

They will also be fitted for aeromedical evacuation and have improved gun mounts.

The new equipment will be acquired through a rapid acquisition tender process using Australian industry and foreign equipment suppliers.

Defence Minister Senator Robert Hill said the upgrade would improve the aircraft’s flexibility, allowing it to be deployed to cover a wide range of contingencies.

“They will be equipped with an enhanced level of ballistic protection against direct fire weapons, such as small arms fire,” he said.

“The upgrade will also ensure the Chinooks have advanced communications equipment to operate with coalition partners and increased situational awareness to operate in demanding flying environments.”

Wg-Cmdr Chris Otley-Doe, CO of DMO’s Materiel Management Unit, said the upgrades would make the Chinooks “comparable to those used by other coalition partners”.

“Our rapid acquisition process will see these modifications introduced over a three-month time frame, and we will continue to examine further technology enhancements to ensure the Chinook fleet is kept at the cutting edge of performance capability.”