RAF Technicians maintaining a 1310 Flight Chinook in Mali. The RAF’s 1310 Flight was equipped with Chinook helicopters and performed a range of missions, from the transport of passengers and freight between main operating bases, to the insertion of troops to desert locations. These missions also included support to the British Army’s Long Range Reconnaissance Group, a contingent of the United Nation's MINUSMA mission. Joint Helicopter Command squadrons had a presence in Mali since July 2018, when the first Chinooks arrived in the country at the request of the French government. Since then, 3500 hours have been flown, nearly 22,000 passengers and over 2000 tons of freight transported. To achieve this the detachment regularly had to overcome the challenges of the environment, ranging from intense desert thunderstorms to searing heat, with temperatures regularly peaking above 40 degrees, as well as seasonal flooding. Operation NEWCOMBE covers the UK’s support to MINUSMA in two separate and concurrent British non-combat military operations in Mali.: logistical and airlift support to the French-led Operation Barkhane, which later saw the deployment of a detachment of Chinook transport helicopters, before shifting its emphasis to UN peacekeeping in 2020. The operation ultimately drew to a close on 14 November 2022 due to political instability in the country.
Cpl Watson RLC
OGL 3
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