CH-47D Chinook Helicopter

CH-47D Chinook Helicopter. . , Heavy-lift Transporter , Known as the workhorse of the U.S. Army, the Boeing Chinook is a tandem-rotor, heavy-lift transport helicopter designed to move personnel, supplies, and equipment in support of combat operations. Secondary missions include medical evacuation, disaster relief, firefighting, and search and rescue. The tandem rotors - one in front of the other - provide superb handling capabilities, enabling the Chinook to operate in difficult environmental conditions that can prevent other helicopters from flying. The Chinook was named after the Native American Chinook people., CH-47C in Vietnam , The Chinook on display was initially built by Boeing as a CH-47C model. After being delivered to the U.S. Army in 1969, the vehicle was deployed to Vietnam where it served with C Company of the 159th Assault Support Helicopter Battalion through 1972. In 1973, the Army loaned the vehicle to Air America, a passenger and cargo airline covertly owned and operated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). It flew missions in Laos in support of CIA operations during the Vietnam War before being returned to the Army in 1974., CH-47D Chinook Specs , . Fuselage Length: 51 ft (15.5m) , . Empty Weight: 23,401 lbs (110,614.5 kg) , . Crusie speed: 165 mph (265.5 km/hr) , . Maxmum Load: 26,000 lbs (11,793.4 kg) , . Power: Two Textron Lycoming T55-L712 engines , . Rotor Blades: Fiberglass; 60 ft (18.3 m) in length , . Accommodations: 3 crew; 44 troops or 24 casualty litters, Upgrade to CH-47D , After the Vietnam War, Boeing upgraded the Chinook on display to a CH-47D model. Improvements include new fiberglass rotor blades, new engines, a redesigned cockpit and more advanced avionics. After its upgrade, the vehicle went back into service for the Army in 1991. It served with multiple units and flew in Afghanistan to support Operation Enduring Freedom., Captions , Above: At a temporary U.S. Army encampment west of Chu Lai in Vietnam, a mighty Chinook lifts a Bell UH-1D "Huey" helicopter for transport to the base for repairs, April 27, 1969. , Center: A CH-47D puts two of its three external cargo hooks to work. The three hooks are capable of lifting a combined weight of up to 26,000 pounds. , Right: U.S. Army Specialist Kevin Welsh provides security before boarding a Chinook helicopter after completing a mission in the Wardak Province of Afghanistan on August 3, 2010.