Life with the Royal Air Force Chinook Detachment in Mali

Personnel from RAF Odiham and numerous other units from across the UK Armed Forces continue to support the French Counter Insurgency Op Barkhane and the United Nations MINUSMA missions from Gao Airbase in in Mali.

The RAF’s 1310 Flight is equipped with Chinook helicopters and perform 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 now include support to the British Army’s Long Range Reconnaissance Group, a contingent of the UN’s MINUSMA mission.. On continuous rotation between 18(B) Sqn and 27 Sqn, the Joint Helicopter Command squadrons have 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, over 3500 hours have been flown, with nearly 22000 passengers and over 2000 tons of freight transported. To achieve this the detachment regularly overcomes the challenges of the environment, ranging from intense desert thunderstorms to searing heat, with temperatures regularly peaking above 40 degrees and seasonal flooding. Describing everyday life for deployed personnel Flight Lieutenant Jamie Johnson from 18 (B) Squadron said: “Life for the personnel of 1310 Flt has been, on the whole, relatively simple. The tents that made up Camp Roberts in the early days of Op Newcombe are kept in fulltime use.

Mali 8 chinook pair

“Thankfully, the days of tented accommodation that many experienced at the birth of Op Newcombe are, for most however, a thing of the past. The majority of the personnel deployed on the Flt now inhabit blocks of rooms that resemble shipping containers. These do have the windows and air conditioning essential to any permanent habitation in Mali.” Operations are maintained 24 hrs a day, but 1310 Flt still find the time to engage in social events to maintain morale. The main hub for most social activities is ‘The Queen’s Head’, at Camp Roberts. Flt Lt Johnson explains when he said: “The Queen’s Head has been made over the years by the Flt’s personnel, it resembles what can only be a described as the offspring of a shipping container and a scrap wood bin, though held in high esteem by all who frequent it!” Most weeks during Op Newcombe some form of social event taking place, ranging from pub quizzes to film nights, and even the odd karaoke event. On occasion, the Flt has had time to expand its social horizon, a recent example being a Battle of Britain Night, held in one of the UK’s hangars with a Chinook backdrop. This allowed for a full dining in night for all of the Flt’s personnel, a rare chance to get everyone together in a formal setting and, an even rarer chance to mingle with a number of international colleagues from across the base at Gao. Wing Commander David Sommers, the National Component Commander said: “The Chinook deployment on Op Newcombe is an example of what is to come for a growing number of UK operations in the future, working closely with European allies, perhaps without the heavy involvement of the United States. Op Newcombe looks set to continue for some time yet, and many more personnel from RAF Odiham will gain the opportunity to deploy.