ODIHAM, Hampshire, U.K., July 24, 2000 -- British Royal Air Force (RAF) HC Mk 2 Chinook heavy lift helicopters recently added new luster to their distinguished operational record during "Operation Palliser," a record-setting mission in Sierra Leone.
After deploying in May with just six hours' notice, four of the Chinooks safely completed their longest-ever mission, a 3,000-mile flight over three days from their base in Odiham to Freetown, Sierra Leone's capital. One aircraft flew an extra 500 miles, having been recalled for the mission from an exercise in northern Scotland.
The Chinooks carried extra fuel tanks while flying along the coasts of western Europe and Africa, with stops in France, Portugal, the Canary Islands and Senegal.
When they arrived in Freetown, the HC Mk 2s immediately began flights around the clock in support of British and United Nations peacekeeping forces in the war-ravaged West African country. They quickly transported soldiers and equipment for the First Battalion, Parachute Regiment, one of the first units to arrive in Sierra Leone, to Freetown's Lungi Airport, where the battalion provided security until relieved by 42 Commando, Royal Marines, whom the Chinooks also carried to the airport.
The helicopters also completed reconnaissance flights after clashes between U.N. and rebel forces, flying over battlefields to seek out partisan groups not yet contained by U.N. troops. During these flights, HC Mk 2 crews donned body armor despite the intense heat and carried Gatling guns for protection against ground fire.
In addition to conducting military missions, the Chinooks transported hundreds of European and American civilians from Freetown to safe evacuation points far from combat zones.
About 20 air crewmen and 65 maintenance technicians led by RAF Wing Commander Martin Sharp conducted the deployment, which senior British officers called crucial to almost every aspect of Britain's U.N. support mission in Sierra Leone.
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