27 Squadron - on deck!

It is always a privilege to support Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 tasking which leads to real effect across the globe.

We may deploy all over the world on Defence Operations 🇬🇧 but today was about enabling OC 617 Squadron’s deployment onto HMS Prince of Wales so they too can do their job. #bonvoyage

Happy New Year 🎇

Thank you to all our personnel for your continued contributions and commitment to the Chinook Force this year.

Thank you also to our families, friends and followers who have supported us all throughout the year.

Here’s to making 2024 another great year🥂

There will be a little less colour around RAF Odiham now. Last week we landed our specially painted #Chinook40 aircraft, #ZD984 , at Fleetlands, near Portsmouth, where it will undergo Depth Maintenance for several months. Thanks for flying the flag 984! 🇬🇧

📸 Mark Russell

Thank you to Dan Foster for these fantastic photos of ‘TUSKER’ - two of our Royal Air Force Chinooks supporting the British Army 🇬🇧 on Exercise PINION TITAN this weekend.

We are entering our second week of focus on the Exercise and rapid planning most days to meet the task.

We have some fantastic RAF Photographer talent in the Royal Air Force - we enjoyed having them with us on Ex VORTEX WARRIOR in the USA last month, capturing the training we conducted in the deserts of California. Check out their work for World Photography Day! 📸

In desert environments, the heat is the biggest challenge.

To combat this, Chinooks and crews from RAF Odiham are conducting specialist desert training in 🇺🇸 at Ex Vortex Warrior.

Air Vice-Marshal Alastair Smith aircraft are supported by RAF Engineering, RAF Logistics, Joint Helicopter Support Squadron and RAF Photographer.

Would you like to see what we’ve been up to in the USA recently? It’s been a very hot month working in an extreme environment for some of our team, as we endeavour to complete desert environmental qualifications. Check this out…!

Thanks to Captain Richard Hewitt and his team for having us back onboard HMS Prince of Wales this week. OC27 Squadron took a moment out of the cockpit to watch one of our junior pilots make his first ever deck landing…and we’re pleased to report the ship is no worse off for it!

With a large proportion of the Squadron still training in the desert, another set of our crews hit the maritime environment this week, returning to the flight deck of HMS Prince of Wales once again. Great to see the ship’s Royal Navy team back at sea and to have Chinooks onboard once more!

27 Squadron are on Exercise Vortex Warrior in El Centro 🇺🇸

Check out what they have been up to recently 😎

We’ve been taking on the dust in recent weeks. Several of our crews are currently overseas in the USA, in some cases renewing qualifications to land in a desert environment and in others learning this extremely challenging skill for the first time.

📸 Joe Copalman

Welcome back to sea HMS Prince of Wales.

We look forward to being back onboard very soon! 🇬🇧

📸 Andy Donovan

Elements of 27 Squadron are currently away on Exercise VORTEX WARRIOR, which yesterday involved desert survival training in peaks of 51 degrees centigrade! The focus from here will be dust landing qualifications for our crews, ensuring they remain deployable for Defence Operations 🇬🇧.

Vortex 444 was out working on mountain flying and low level navigation today, as well as providing some air experience flying to our colleagues at RAF Valley. Here’s a fantastic shot that was caught of our crew training in Snowdonia.

📸 Cyril Williams

Today, to celebrate Armed Forces Day, our RAF Chinook Display team will be conducting a series of Flypasts over Halton, Hurst and Eastbourne before conducting their display at the Armed Forces Day National Event in Falmouth.

#ArmedForcesDay

A short insight into the work our engineering teams do - delivering Chinooks to front-line operations and training every day.

Yesterday marked the last Chinook flight of one of our pilots and one of our crewmen - thank you both for your time served RAF Odiham.

Vortex 433 dropped into Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and supported British Army 🇬🇧 Officer Cadets at the start of their military careers 🇬🇧

📸 Andy Donovan

For those of you who made the journey into London yesterday, or viewed the King’s Birthday Flypast on TV, who noticed our #Chinook40 aircraft flying the flag above the palace?

This wonderful view was captured through the windscreen of RAF Benson’s Puma, by AS1 Curlett 🇬🇧

Today, Chinooks from RAF Odiham joined aircraft from Royal Navy, British Army 🇬🇧 and Royal Air Force to commemorate His Majesty The King’s birthday.

Airborne again this weekend, with one of our crews joining others from across RAF Odiham and RAF Benson in His Majesty the King’s Birthday Flypast.

It is a privilege to play a part in these events, alongside the Royal Navy, British Army 🇬🇧 and our Royal Air Force colleagues.