ICONIC Chinooks based out of a north Hampshire RAF base have racked up 3,000 operational hours of flying in north Africa.

Aircraft from RAF Odiham are currently based in Mali in support of the French military in Operation Barkhane, a counter-terrorist operation.

The Chinooks regularly carry out troop movements, resupply missions and logistical support to French forward operating bases in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.

Now, the aircraft have totalled 3,000 hours of operational flight time since they arrived in west Africa in July 2018. The aircraft have moved over 1,500 tonnes of freight and over 18,000 French soldiers in that time.

The Chinooks are flown by pilots and crewmen from 27 Squadron, and are supported by personnel from the RAF, British Army and Royal Navy, drawn from Joint Helicopter Command.

RAF Detachment Commander, Squadron Leader Sam Bennett, said: “The crews and individuals have maintained a high tempo of operations throughout our time in theatre, delivering support to the French in their efforts to counter the militant Islamist threat.”