[Ed Storey]

The CH147 Chinook medium-lift helicopter had an interesting history with the Canadian military. The Canadian Forces (CF) first operated eight CH147C model Chinook helicopters from 1974 until 1992 (147001 was lost on its delivery flight to Canada on 18 October 1974 and was replaced by another aircraft). These aircraft were flown by two squadrons, 450 based out of Uplands (Ottawa), Ontario and 447 Squadron in Namao (Edmonton), Alberta. Budgetary restraints and the increased costs of keeping the fleet operational resulted the seven Chinooks (147002 was lost due to a taxiing accident at Rankin Inlet on 17 August, 1982) being struck off strength on 7 January, 1992 and returned to the United States. The helicopters were converted to CH47D models in 1994 and sold to the Royal Netherlands Air Force were they were operated by 298 Squadron.

In 2005, the then-Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS), General Rick Hillier, made Chinooks (or similar medium-lift helicopters) his top priority for the Kandahar deployment. The Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Conservative government responded in July 2006 with an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) for 16 newly-built CH47F model Chinooks. This contract consisted of a $1.2 billion capital acquisition and a $2.2 billion 20-year support and maintenance element. In the original proposal, 16 helicopters were to be procured; however, due to inflation and other factors this number was reduced to 15. Delivery of the first CH147F Chinook was on 5 July, 2013 with the final aircraft being received ahead of schedule on 30 June, 2014. To fly these new Chinooks, 450 Squadron based in CFB Petawawa was reactivated on 2 May, 2012.

When discussing the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) it must be recognized that as a result of unification the RCAF was brought to nil strength in 1968 and its assets were dispersed among several commands such as Air Command and Transport Command. The Air Force was then officially known as the Air Operations Branch. The RCAF was reinstated in 2011.

My records show that while the official documentation states that specialist bodies such as the M217CDN and Fire Fighting Trucks where to be mounted on the M207CDN Chassis that in practice the M211CDN was used instead. The numbers of vehicles tends to indicate that pinning down the exact reason why M211CDNs were used over M207CDNs is more an exercise in 'picking the fly s__t out of the pepper' by enthusiast hobbyists and that it is most likely just a case of using excess M211CDNs.