Bravo November - the RAF's Most Famous Chinook

'Bravo November'
By Joe Naujokas

From the original held in the RAF Museum's Fine Art Collection. Limited Edition fine art prints of this painting are available from the RAF Museum Shop.

The most famous of the RAF's Chinook helicopters is ZA718, known more usually by its two-letter identity code - 'Bravo November'.

This two-part painting illustrates its operational flying in the 1982 Falklands Conflict and during operations in Iraq more than twenty years later in 2003.

Its pilots during each campaign - the late Squadron Leader Richard 'Dick' Ulric Langworthy, and Squadron Leader Steve Carr - were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Bravo November has also seen service in Lebanon, Germany, Northern Ireland, Kurdistan and Afghanistan. It is still in service at RAF Odiham.

Learn more by visiting the Chinook exhibition, in the Historic Hangars at RAF Museum London.

In 1982, three Chinooks were lost when a container ship was sunk by the Argentinian Navy whilst north-east of the Falkland Islands. Bravo November was the sole survivor with the Task Force. Visit our Timeline of Aviation History to learn more about this and other events in that year.