Potential diorama idea: a pair of M1A1 Abrams refuelled by a CH-47F Chinook.

https://www.facebook.com/7NewsTownsville/videos/1058804040832348/

Great idea. We had to find a refueling truck. This way, if it wasn't a hot LZ, you could refuel on the front lines no matter the terrain.

Interesting idea. Do you intend to use one or two Abrams? That dio might get very big quick.

I was more providing the inspiration for someone else to exploit....

Maybe in 1/72 it'd be manageable.

That's interesting-- doesn't look like the blades are turning-- while refueling, anyone know if the M1 is being refueled direct from the CH47's tanks, or from a bladder carried by the 47 which might be just off camera-- I didn't get that from the clip. There's a really neat photo in the book Vietnam Tracks of a CH47A towing an M113 out of a mire. I started building a 1/72 dio of it with the Trumpeter CH47A, but it stalled because I haven't figured out how to power the blades or support the chopper with the small towing cables yet . In doing research for the dio, I corresponded with one of the pilots who actually flew the mission. It was done primarily to see if it could be done as an experiment, not out of necessity. It was also quite dangerous, considering the physics involved if a cable snapped. Just shows that aircraft and armor dioramas can be combined!
VR, Russ

I get it. Plant the seed in someone else mind then sit back and watch them go nuts trying to deal with it. I love it! LOL

This is just a guess about the whole process. I've seen pictures of Marine Abrams refueling from a CH53, no blades turning on it. I know we used to get fuel in blivets at the FARP delivered by sling load when I was with a Cav unit in my Army days. I'm thinking they've got the helo carrying a bladder as internal cargo as sort of an expedient FARP.

The blades are not turning. IIRC would be a recipe of a big boom with the static electricity and fuel vapors. The M1's are running. The high pitch whine is there's. In the case of this refuel I think they used the helo's side tank. Also IIRC the internal fuel could change the CG to much to carry and would be a sling load if it was to be done.

The report says it is carrying 5 tons of fuel. From my calculations, the standard fuel payload comes out around 13,900lbs (rough weight of 6.7lbs/gall of Jet A x 2,068gall capacity for a CH-47D). I would say that is well more than 5 tons, so it doesn't sound like a bladder to me, but I have no idea to be honest.

As this is just a capability proof of concept, I'm guessing it was just from the internal fuel of the Chook.

And my math was a little off. Roughly 13,900lbs of fuel carried internally, the report says 5 tons of fuel carried, that would be 10,000 by itself. There is still enough because I don't know how much fuel was put in the Abrams. If they used the allotted 5 tons for the Abrams', then it would only leave about 4,000lb of fuel remaining. That would be around 600 gallons, not sure how far that would get the Chinook.

Converting the specific gravity of AvTur into litres will give you the answer. 2,000 litres per tank is the notional capacity.

Hi guys, just to throw a slightly different take on the topic of Chinooks being used to recover vehicles, during the mid 90's while on exercise in the Kielder Forest area in the UK, one of our Sqn (RHG/D) Command CVRT's ( Sultan ) got badly bogged in, at an angle going from the top of the rear right hand mudguard to nearly the top of the roof/hull corner on the left hand side, covering 70% of the rear door and only allowing access through the commanders hatch on the roof, and the vehicle was sinking rear first. After several hours and many failed attempts using all types of vehicles and combinations, the last resort was to use a Chinook that was in the area on the same exercise. in the end after serious planning , they only had one attempt to save the bogged Sultan, and they managed it by doing a combined pull by a CVRT Samson and a straight lift by the Chinook, it was quite an impressive sight.

No doubt! Thanks for the story, too.

There was a recovery of an ASLAV-25 in East Timor by a Mi-26 Halo couple of years ago. Didn't go too smoothly.

How did they over come the suction? There is a Humvee buried upside down on CamPen from the flood in '93. The frame is all twisted up as the tried to remove it with a 7 ton crane.

that camo pattern on that Abrams is one of the more odd ones I have seen, alot of tan.

This reminds me of the U.S. Army Chinook variant called "Fat Cow". It's fitted with three crash-resistant internal 800-gallon fuel bladders :

http://www.boeing.com/chinooknews/2009/issue_01/field_s5_p3.html

http://www.robertsonfuelsystems.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/CH-47-ERFS-II-Web.pdf

Some interior pics here :

https://www.dvidshub.net/image/2331227/fat-cow-training#.VxeU7fmLTcs

Related TM pages :

http://ch-47helicopters.tpub.com/TM-1-1520-240-10/css/TM-1-1520-240-10_263.htm

H.P.

That is an Aussie M1A1SA in AUSCam. It is close to 3-color NATO camo. It is designed to work in Australian environs better. The Tan and Lusterless (OD-ish) Green are different than the Military Brown and NATO Green of NATO camo.

Just to amplify that, Gino, the tan is FS30219. Tonally, it suits the more drab colours of the Australian bush.

Waiting to see what upgrade package will get approved - M1A1 FEP (w/SCWS) or the M1A2 SEP V.x.