Perhaps I'll let General Deschamps talk to the operational requirement that the Chinook performs.
To answer your questions more specifically about whether we considered other options in the fall of 2005 and the spring of 2006, the answer is yes. We very, very diligently looked at the Sikorsky H-53 large helicopter, which is obsolete and has been out of production for almost 20 years. We looked at being able to modify a Cyclone to utility configuration, to carry a platoon of infantry and its equipment and so on, or lift a gun. We looked at the EH101, the European helicopter, and frankly, everything else. They failed to meet the normal minimum performance requirements of altitude, temperature, and lifting that platoon of infantry or the lightweight gun, in at least several of those parameters quite significantly.
The fact is the Chinook F in production really was the only thing available in the world.
We looked at the Russian helicopters very briefly, but you can't go to Russian aircraft because of air certification reasons. The Russians have never made any significant effort to meet western safety certification standards, so they're not certifiable under the FAA or Transport Canada. And for supportability reasons, it's not practical to try to run a Russia helicopter within NATO.
So yes, sir, we did look very, very carefully at everything we could find out there.