Tuesday, September 06, 2016

Exercise Wallaby 2016 - transporting Chinook helicopters

Preparations for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) 'Exercise Wallaby 2016' is underway with Antonov Airlines (Antonov Design Bureau) An-124-100 UR-82073 transporting Boeing AH-64D Apache and Boeing CH-47SD Chinook helicopters from Paya Lebar Air Base, Singapore to Rockhampton Airport aboard two separate flights in recent days.

A third and final chartered flight by an Antonov Airlines An-124-100 (presumably UR-82703) is scheduled to touchdown at the beef capital before sunrise on Friday, September 09. 
 
However, transporting larger military helicopters in the belly of a host aircraft often requires the choppers to be partially disassembled. It's a no brainer they will have to be reassembled after being unloaded at the intended destination.
 
To give some perspective what is involved when reassembling a Chinook helicopter, Phil Munsel Photography captured some superb photo's while the Singaporean's were preparing for 'Exercise Wallaby 2014'.
 






 








 
All photo's contributed by Phil Munsel Photography.