Amphibious helicopter The HUP-2 was able to taxi forward or backward on water, regardless of wind direction. The CH-46 Sea Knight and its Canadian variant, the CH-113 Labrador, can land on water and rest for up to two hours in calm water. The rear sponsons hold two of the three landing gear units as well as self-sealing fuel tanks. The helicopter began service with the United States Marine Corps in 1962, and with the Canadian military in 1963, and is used to carry cargo and combat troops. The Boeing CH-47 Chinook was made sufficiently watertight to allow it to land on water
Boeing Chinook (UK variants) those used by the British armed forces, were grounded due to cracking discovered in the landing gear of a British helicopter during routine inspection. In May 2000, several Chinook helicopters airlifted British and European Union citizens out of Freetown in Sierra Leone in an evacuation due to regional instability. In September 2000 Chinooks were being used to evacuate casualties from fighting in Freetown to RFA "Sir Percivale", a support ship docked there. In July 2006, 3 Chinook helicopters of No. 27 Squadron deployed to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus to evacuate British citizens from Lebanon; the squadron also flew the EU