MERT/IRT Chinook in Afghanistan

[DaveJL]

Hello all,

 

I'm putting together parts for a 1/48 Chinook project, kitted up as a MERT/IRT machine in Afghanistan. I did build one years ago but cannot locate any of my references.

 

I'll be marking it as ZA718 'BN'. I believe this machine was with 18 Sqn in Afghanistan.

 

Would anyone have any pictures of the interior of the MERT Chinook? I'm looking for ideas of medical kit placement, colours and so on. Any cockpit pictures would also be great to allow me to see the instrument panel layout and were the aircrews weapons would be stored.

 

I've seen a few pictures online but they're not the greatest reference material.

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Cheers and stay safe

 

Dave

[ian fish]

Might be able to help with chinook images. I was abke to attend Shawbury family day a few years ago and had a chance to go in that years display machine

[exdraken]

On 4/16/2021 at 11:00 PM, DaveJL said:

MERT/IRT

Medical emergency response team I suppose and what does IRT stand for please?

Thanks, just curious, sorry!

[Sky dancer]

Depends on theatre, but in recent times IRT = Incident Response Team

 

HTH

[junglierating]

No pics im afraid ...but I can recommend a book for background reading 

 

A Heavy reckoning 

Emily Mayhew .....

 

War,medicine and survival in Afghanistan and beyond. 

Gave to Daughter no 2 when she was on ICU at Derriford....now A&E in Dorchester...she liked it 

You could always do an SK 4 in another theatre 😁

[DaveJL]

16 hours ago, ian fish said:

Might be able to help with chinook images. I was abke to attend Shawbury family day a few years ago and had a chance to go in that years display machine

Thanks mate, that would be great!

27 minutes ago, junglierating said:

No pics im afraid ...but I can recommend a book for background reading 

 

A Heavy reckoning 

Emily Mayhew .....

 

War,medicine and survival in Afghanistan and beyond. 

Gave to Daughter no 2 when she was on ICU at Derriford....now A&E in Dorchester...she liked it 

You could always do an SK 4 in another theatre 😁

Cheers, I'll have a look.

 

I can get a rough idea from some pictures and footage from Mike Brewer's 'Frontline Battle Machines' for the MERT kit, but I'm not sure of the location for the M134 ammunition boxes or the carbine storage for the crew.

[Motley]

14 hours ago, DaveJL said:

Thanks mate, that would be great!

Cheers, I'll have a look.

 

I can get a rough idea from some pictures and footage from Mike Brewer's 'Frontline Battle Machines' for the MERT kit, but I'm not sure of the location for the M134 ammunition boxes or the carbine storage for the crew.

 

The pilots rifles are strapped to the sides of their seats and the crewmen in the back have their rifles strapped up on the side walls above the top of the seats just cant remember where in the cab though 

[DaveJL]

6 hours ago, Motley said:

 

The pilots rifles are strapped to the sides of their seats and the crewmen in the back have their rifles strapped up on the side walls above the top of the seats just cant remember where in the cab though 

Thanks mate. The outside of the seat I assume with barrels down? Would the crew have the carbine version of the SA80 or the standard version?

[NealParkes]

2 hours ago, DaveJL said:

Thanks mate. The outside of the seat I assume with barrels down? Would the crew have the carbine version of the SA80 or the standard version?

I'm 99pretty sure that aircrew had the L22A2 carbine version of the L85. I might be able to confirm this via some of my fellow paramedics who spent time in the military.

 

[DaveJL]

44 minutes ago, NealParkes said:

I'm 99pretty sure that aircrew had the L22A2 carbine version of the L85. I might be able to confirm this via some of my fellow paramedics who spent time in the military.

 

That would be great, thanks mate.

[tonyot]

Does this help?

 

Great painting;

https://skipperpress.com/portfolio/gallery-prints/in-safe-hands-2/

 

I did a similar job before Afghanistan in a Puma in Turkey,......

 

Cheers

          Tony

[scotthldr]

22 hours ago, DaveJL said:

Thanks mate. The outside of the seat I assume with barrels down? Would the crew have the carbine version of the SA80 or the standard version?

Inside side towards the centre console. Barrels down and pistol grip/magazine facing the front of a/c.

 

 

[Max Headroom]

A few years ago Mike Brewer (he of Wheeler Dealers) did two programmes on the Chinook for Discovery. It majored on Bravo November and he filmed a CASEVAC mission in Afghanistan where it’s pilot was injured. Plenty of detail ‘over the shoulder’ as it were. It may be worth your while searching it out on catch-up services.

 

Trevor

[DaveJL]

19 hours ago, tonyot said:

Does this help?

 

Great painting;

https://skipperpress.com/portfolio/gallery-prints/in-safe-hands-2/

 

I did a similar job before Afghanistan in a Puma in Turkey,......

 

Cheers

          Tony

Great links and image, thanks Tony. Gives me an idea for the Force Protection kit at the rear. Looks like one of the crews SA80s is attached to the webbing on the left hand side above the seats.

1 hour ago, scotthldr said:

Inside side towards the centre console. Barrels down and pistol grip/magazine facing the front of a/c.

 

 

Cheers Scott!

54 minutes ago, Max Headroom said:

A few years ago Mike Brewer (he of Wheeler Dealers) did two programmes on the Chinook for Discovery. It majored on Bravo November and he filmed a CASEVAC mission in Afghanistan where it’s pilot was injured. Plenty of detail ‘over the shoulder’ as it were. It may be worth your while searching it out on catch-up services.

 

Trevor

Thanks Trevor, it was one of my only references to date, had purchased the series on Amazon Prime a year or so ago after watching it on DVD numerous times.

 

 Would any of you have an idea of where the Mini-gun ammunition boxes would be located?

[torqueofthedevil]

On 5/14/2021 at 5:26 PM, scotthldr said:

Inside side towards the centre console. Barrels down and pistol grip/magazine facing the front of a/c.

 

 

 

Small correction: they face in opposite directions in a fore and aft sense, because the attachment which fits into the seat mount is on the same side of both weapons. 

[DaveJL]

19 minutes ago, torqueofthedevil said:

 

Small correction: they face in opposite directions in a fore and aft sense, because the attachment which fits into the seat mount is on the same side of both weapons. 

So would one be on the outside of the seat? 

[torqueofthedevil]

On 5/16/2021 at 9:08 PM, DaveJL said:

So would one be on the outside of the seat? 

 

No - both are between the seats. But because the weapons are identical and the seat mounts aren't (right hand side of the left seat and vice versa), one weapon is 'magazine forward' and the other is 'magazine aft'. I think the co-pilot's one is magazine aft. 

[scotthldr]

Seat on the left is mag forward.

[Dads988]

On 14/05/2021 at 19:01, DaveJL said:

Great links and image, thanks Tony. Gives me an idea for the Force Protection kit at the rear. Looks like one of the crews SA80s is attached to the webbing on the left hand side above the seats.

Cheers Scott!

Thanks Trevor, it was one of my only references to date, had purchased the series on Amazon Prime a year or so ago after watching it on DVD numerous times.

 

 Would any of you have an idea of where the Mini-gun ammunition boxes would be located?

Hi yes the mini-gun ammo boxes are both tight on the inside walls of the fuselage, both are longitudinally mounted I.e. parallel to the fuselage. Port side comes quite far forward by the hatch the gun is in basically the length of the hatch plus a bit is the ammo box length and starboard side front edge of then ammo box is aligned with the back of the starboard hatch where the gun sits. Hope that makes sense? Currently work on Chinooks so feel free to ask anymore questions however I’m not overly sure on MERT layout.

Edited June 13, 2021 by Dads988
Terrible typos...

[DaveJL]

On 6/13/2021 at 9:31 PM, Dads988 said:

Hi yes the mini-gun ammo boxes are both tight on the inside walls of the fuselage, both are longitudinally mounted I.e. parallel to the fuselage. Port side comes quite far forward by the hatch the gun is in basically the length of the hatch plus a bit is the ammo box length and starboard side front edge of then ammo box is aligned with the back of the starboard hatch where the gun sits. Hope that makes sense? Currently work on Chinooks so feel free to ask anymore questions however I’m not overly sure on MERT layout.

That's great, thanks mate! I'll be sure to tap into your knowledge when I start the build!