Boeing Chinook (UK variants) Boeing Chinook (UK variants) The Boeing Chinook is a large, tandem rotor helicopter operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF). A series of variants based on the United States Army's Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the RAF Chinook fleet is the largest outside the United States. RAF Chinooks have seen extensive service including fighting in the Falklands War, peace-keeping commitments in the Balkans, Northern Ireland and action in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The Chinook aircraft, normally based at RAF Odiham, provides heavy-lift support and transport across all branches of the British armed forces, and is supported by the smaller, medium-lift helicopters
Joint Helicopter Support Unit Joint Helicopter Support Unit The Joint Helicopter Support Unit (JHSU) was a joint organisation of the British Army and the Royal Air Force, located in RAF Odiham. It was formed in July 1982, following the introduction of the Chinook HC MK1 Helicopter. Personnel were drawn from the Royal Corps of Transport (RCT) and Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC) (both now amalgamated into the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC)) plus the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Air Force (RAF). The JHSU became the Joint Helicopter Support Squadron (JHSS) following its merger with the RAF Mobile Air Operations Team (RAF MAOT)