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In The Field
10th Mountain Division Fields CH-47F
CH-47F Chinook Fielded by Tenth Mountain Division
By Tom Marinucci
Reprinted with Permission from Defence Helicopter
Photo credit: U.S. Army
FORT DRUM, N.Y. – Patrick Donnelly, CH-47 Domestic Programs manager Rotorcraft Systems for the Boeing Company, presents a framed poster to Capt. Michael Farrell, the commander of B Company, 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade as a show of appreciation during a fielding ceremony held here 30 July for the CH47F Chinook, the latest model of the dual-rotor aircraft.
In a ceremony held Friday, July 30, the 3rd General Support Aviation Battalion, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, N.Y. became the sixth U.S. Army unit equipped with the CH-47F Chinook. Representing Boeing at the event was Pat Donnelly, CH-47 Domestic Programs manager who presented a framed poster to the 10th Mountain Division commemorating the fielding. "We are extremely proud to have provided you with the most advanced cargo rotorcraft in the world," said Donnelly, "but it is what the soldiers of this unit do on a daily basis that truly makes this aircraft so impressive."
"I am extremely excited that Boeing and the New Equipment Training Team were able to field and train the company on the F-model Chinook so quickly," said Capt. Michael Farrell, Company B commander. "With such a short period of time between deployments this really helped us focus on our collective training."
Boeing's Global Services & Support Army Integrated Logistics employees were pivotal in fielding the aircraft. This includes embedded supply chain, technical, and maintenance team support along with post-delivery modification services that bring the aircraft to theater-entry standard.
With the fielding complete, the 10th Mountain Division will begin advanced mission training in the new aircraft conducting simulated assualt, troop transport and cargo movement exercises along with high mountain operations utilizing the advanced features of the aircraft.
The Chinook is built at Boeing's Ridley Park, Pa. facility and features a newly designed, modernized airframe, Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) cockpit and Digital Automatic Flight Control System (DAFCS). The CAAS greatly improves aircrew situational awareness, and DAFCS provides dramatically improved flight-control capabilities through the entire flight envelope, significantly improved performance, and safety in the harshest of environments.