Researched 2026-10-11 from the sources listed below. Airframes move between hangars, workshops and loans: check with Royal Air Force Museum Midlands before travelling to see this one.
The airframe in brief
| Serial / registration | ZA718 |
|---|---|
| Type | Boeing Chinook HC.6A |
| Ordered | 1978 |
| Unit | No. 18 Squadron (Falklands) |
| Falklands | Sole Chinook to survive the loss of Atlantic Conveyor, 25 May 1982 |
| Awards | Four pilots awarded the DFC |
| Arrived | March 2022, by road from RAF Odiham |
| Status | On display |
| Where | Royal Air Force Museum Midlands, Shifnal |
The story of ZA718
ZA718 was among the first Chinooks the RAF ordered in 1978. It flew with No. 18 Squadron, the first RAF Chinook unit, wearing the code BN – 'Bravo November'.
In 1982 it sailed south aboard the container ship Atlantic Conveyor with three other Chinooks. On 25 May it was airborne on a test flight when an Exocet hit the ship. The other three Chinooks and all the spares were lost. Bravo November landed on HMS Hermes, then flew ashore to San Carlos.
Ground crew kept it going with improvised servicing. On the night of 30–31 May it took three 105mm guns and 22 gunners to Mount Kent. On the way back a faulty altimeter let it touch the sea, but it recovered. Sqn Ldr Dick Langworthy received the DFC for that sortie. In 18 days ashore it carried 2,150 troops, 95 casualties and 550 prisoners.
After the surrender it was fitted with a door taken from a captured Argentine Chinook. It was upgraded several times and later served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Four of its pilots have won the DFC flying it. It left RAF Odiham by road on 16 March 2022 for Cosford.
Seeing ZA718 today
On display at Cosford since spring 2022, in its final HC.6A form rather than 1982 condition.
| Museum | Adult entry | Airframes | Headline exhibit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Air Force Museum MidlandsShifnal, Shropshire | Free | 78 | TSR-2 XR220, one of two survivors of the most gifted aircraft Britain ever cancelled, sharing floor space with the stainless-steel… |
Also known as: Bravo November · ZA718 BN · The Survivor · Falklands Chinook