A Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster recently delivered Army Air Corps Apache helicopters to Royal Norwegian Air Force Base Bardufoss.
Joint Helicopter Command personnel were hopeful that they could successfully train and complete environmental qualifications in the Arctic Winter and to learn how to live and operate in one of the world’s most hostile environments where temperatures can fall to -30°C, according to a news release from the RAF..
“The survival and operational training ensure that UK military personnel can operate globally to protect the UK’s interests, particularly alongside NATO and partner Nations. Cooperation and interoperability enable the projection of lethal force and also an ability to sustain deployments.
Once arctic training is complete, the Joint Helicopter Force’s Apache will be staying on in Norway to take part in another exercise involving 20,000 personnel from 14 countries.”
The C17 is a profoundly use useful capability that very few nations have…heavy strategic airlift is profoundly important….
Spot on Jonathan👌
The French learned this lesson the hard way.
Indeed they did…
They’ve totally neglected sea logistics and heavy air lift
The c17 is an excellent asset. With the reduction in transport aircraft , the RAF should have a word with US to acquire say another 4 used/second hand C17S.
I’d be happy to leave the A400 fleet at 22 units.
Absolutely agree, though I think the A400 fleet should be increased by 8 to replace the lost C130 capability.
I don’t think the US Airforce have any spare c17’s…
More of both would be better, the Atlas is pretty amazing too.
It should have been built as a turbofan like the C-17, with engines from the A320/737 series for cost and parts availability. The French had to Frenchicize it, with exotic, unnecessary turboprop developments.
Santa’s getting serious this year ! …. Looking forward to seeing Georges article about Typhoons escorting heavily armed Apache’s….. 😄
One or several Apaches transported?
I believe it’s two due to their length but a C17 could carry 7 or 8 in weight.
My comment related to both Apache and Apaches being referred to in the article. Seems odd for just one Apache to be on an exercise.
Oh…. well I just saw the Transported bit and assumed you were asking how many a C17 could carry….. sorry, I don’t know how many will be taking part.
Thanks Frank. I had a flight in a C-17 coming back from Afghan back in 2009. Awesome size when you have been used to Hercs.
Nice experience to have, especially coming home from there…. I’d love a trip on one, and a Galaxy ….
Yes, an excellent Heavy Lift Asset, but I suspect that all the travels in and out of the Sand Pit probably added a considerable amount of hours to the air-frames than originally factored in.
Anyone with some knowledge able to confirm or deny this.
Not sure about the hours on our ones or the US. Probably similar. For years on ADSB there has been a constant bus service of C17 from US to Germany and the Gulf. You see them cross the coast near Glasgow then out over just above Hull to the Wash.
US has bigger fleet but further to go. US is a big country geographically. You take into account bases in Alaska, the Pacific and the far east. It’s a lot of air miles.
I also know as it was being introduced in the US the planned per annum hours was 1000. The US normally has SLEP for all aircraft. I have not seen that for the C17. Others may know better. C5 certainly has a SLEP. If there is one it would make sense to me we piggy back on it.