Airfix 03051 Boeing Vertol 107/Sea Knight

The Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight (also known as Boeing-Vertol 107) was an American heavy transport helicopter from the Cold War and modern times. A prototype flight took place in 1958, and the machine entered production in 1962. Over 520 helicopters of this type were built in its course. The drive, in the CH-46E version, was provided by two General Electric T58-GE-16 engines with a capacity of 1870 HP each. The maximum take-off weight was around 11,000 kilograms.

The Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight was created as a bottom-up initiative of the Boeing concern, in order to test the possibility of constructing a heavy transport helicopter in a tandem configuration (also known as a longitudinal twin rotor system). Originally, the US ground forces became interested in the machine, but in the end, the main recipient of the CH-46 was the US Navy and the Marine Corps. In the course of serial production, several development versions of this helicopter were created, including: CH-46A (basic version, dedicated to the US Marines), UH-46A Sea Knight (version for the US Navy), CH-46D (version with modified engines) or RH-46E (version for the search for sea mines). It is worth noting that Kawasaki plants in Japan have also started licensing production of this machine. Boeing CH-46 Sea Knight helicopters took part in numerous armed conflicts, including the Vietnam War (1964 / 1965-1975) or the invasion of Iraq in 2003.