Chinook

Chinooks are Event-specific Salmonids that appear exclusively during the Mothership event. Each one drops one Golden Egg when splatted during this Occurrence, acting as the primary source of Golden eggs throughout. The Mothership itself can also drop Golden Eggs if attacked directly, though this may be due to players splatting the Chinooks aboard it.

Description
Chinooks are similar in appearance to Chum. They wear metal propeller headlamp helmets that allow them to fly, making them similar to an Octocopter in that regard. They carry large crates from the Mothership that resemble white styrofoam coolers, with a cyan glow under the lid, and do not follow the Mothership when it goes to the egg basket. Splatting the coolers they place independent of the Chinooks does not grant any Golden Eggs.

Chinooks do not attack directly. The crates they drop spawn Lesser Salmonids. The crates glow red when they are about to open, and eventually explode. They can be destroyed before either occur. The crates the Chinook carries deal small amounts of damage when touched in mid-air or when they explode. With enough damage taken beforehand, the explosion can splat the player.

After Chinooks drop an enemy crate, they quickly take off, but may still drop Golden eggs if splatted before their departure.

Trivia

 * Chinooks are not officially classified as Lesser Salmonids nor Boss Salmonids. They drop Golden eggs similarly to Bosses, but are identical to the Lesser Chum save for the propellers on their heads.
 * The lack of classification of them as Bosses in Splatnet 2 and Splatnet 3 suggests they are likely Lessers, but no other Lesser Salmonid produces its own unique Golden Eggs when splatted, and all other event-exclusive Salmonids are classified as Bosses.
 * Relative to its HP (50), the Chinook provides more Power Eggs than any other Salmonid, at 18.
 * The single Golden eggs they drop when splatted may be within their propeller helmets, as a Golden egg icon can be seen there.

Etymology

 * The Chinook's name is a reference to the species of salmon of the same name. The name is also, along with its propeller helmet and role of crate transport, a reference to the Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter, a transport helicopter used to carry heavy loads. Both of these names are derived from the Chinook Nation, an Indigenous American nation native to the Pacific Northwest.