Wednesday, December 09, 2015

RAF Chinook Special Forces Extraction

Qui audet adipiscitur; Thucydides

"Per diem, per noctem"

Published on Mar 30, 2014

The Special Boat Service conducting a chinook extraction

7 Squadron SF flight are based at RAF Odiham and form part of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW) along with AAC 657 Squadron.

7 Squadron - RAF Special Forces Flight Read much more: http://www.eliteukforces.info/air-support/7-Squadron/

7 Squadron SF flight are based at RAF Odiham and form part of the Joint Special Forces Aviation Wing (JSFAW) along with AAC 657 Squadron.

7 Sqn SF flight operate twin-rotor Chinook HC.4 Helicopters in support of SAS/SBSmissions. The primary role of SF flight Chinooks is as follows:

Insertion and extraction of special forces men and vehicles/boats
(at land or at sea)
counter terrorism operations
(typically fast-roping SAS/SBS teams onto their objectives)
resupply of special forces
(often deep behind enemy lines)

SF flight also carry out more general squadron duties such as cargo transport.

The unit was formed shortly after the 1982 Falklands conflict, during which a need for specialist helicopter support for SAS/SBS operations was highlighted. The RAF, which already had an experienced SF Hercules flight in 47 Squadron, was given the task. The Chinook HC.1 (later upgraded to HC.2/.2a) met the needs of the SAS and SBS, as it had the range and cargo-carrying capability their missions required.

more info: Chinook HC.2 / HC.2a

A series of improvement programs have upgraded the .HC2, .HC2a and HC.3 (purchased special ops Chinooks that suffered procurement issues) to a common standard. 14 new-build HC.6 airframes have also been added to the RAF Chinook fleet.

more info : RAF Chinook Fleet

7 Squadron Operations

1983 - Chinooks from 7 Squadron, operating from Akrotiri, Cyprus carried supplies to British troops in Lebanon
1986 - Present - 7 Squadron undertook many operations in Northern Ireland
December 1988 - A pair of 7 Squadron Chinooks assisted Scottish authorities in the aftermath of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over the village of Lockerbie.
1991 - During Desert Storm 3 SF flight Chinook HC1s, each painted with special camouflage schemes and carrying extra avionics, deployed to a forward operating base at Al Jouf, Saudi Arabia. Over the course of the war, SF flight:
- inserted SAS foot patrols into Western Iraq
- flew resupply missions in support of SAS fighting columns operating in the western Iraqi desert
- delivered an SBS sabotage team close to Baghdad in order to destroy communications cables
- once Iraqi forces had been expelled from Kuwait, SF flight flew the SBS into the capital city to secure the British Embassy (watch video)
1991 - 7 Squadron delivered humanitarian aid to the Kurds in Northern Iraq
Mid 90s - 7 Squadron supported NATO humanitarian efforts in Croatia
1997 - 7 Squadron support the SAS on 2 separate missions to rescue imperiled British nationals in war-torn Albania
1997 - 7 Squadron inserted SAS teams close to Pristina for Operation Tango
1999 - Supported NATO operations in Kosovo
2000 - 7 Squadron supported the 1 PARA Battle Group during Operation Palliserin Sierra Leone. The unit would later carry the SAS, SBS and Paras into the heart of the Sierra Leone jungle during Operation Barras.
December 2001 - the squadron flew SBS/SAS assault units onto the MV Nisha cargo ship in the English Channel
2001-2014 - 7 Squadron SF flight is believed to have been flying in support of UKSF in both Afghanistan and Iraq. At the present time, public domain details of any such operations are few and far between.