RAF's First Chinook HC6s Arrive

摘要

Three new Chinook HC6s for the Royal Air Force ended their journey by road at RAF Odiham, Hampshire, following delivery by sea from the factory in Philadelphia. The first of 14 on order under a contract announced on July 18, 2011, they arrived in December. Boeing began flight testing of the first HC6 for the RAF on March 15, 2013, when ZK550/N701 UK (c M7701) took to the air at the company's helicopter facility in Ridley Township, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The type is scheduled to enter operational service in May and all 14 examples on order are due to be delivered by December 2015, with full operation capability anticipated by early 2017.