Pictured is a Boeing CH-47F heavy-lift transport helicopter. Credit: Boeing.

Boeing has modernised the first of the US Army’s 465 CH-47F ‘Chinook’ transport helicopters to the latest Block II configuration earlier this week (1 July 2024).

The Chinook is a tandem rotary wing helicopter that can perform various heavy-lift duties, including medical evacuation, aircraft recovery, parachute drop, search and rescue, disaster relief and fire-fighting.

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“Block II provides capability improvements allowing the US Army to lift more, fly farther and maintain their aircraft better than ever before,” said Heather McBryan, vice president and programme manager for Boeing’s Cargo Programs division.

With an improved drivetrain, a reinforced airframe and enhanced fuel system, the CH-47F Block II provides for an additional 4,000 pounds of max gross weight and extends the mission radius for nearly all payloads. In addition to the capability improvements, its design also enables future technology upgrades.

Moreover, the Block II programme improves aircraft sustainment. The improved reliability of the new rotor system minimises unscheduled maintenance, and the simplified fuel system drives sustainment efficiency reducing maintenance burden and cost.

A global Chinook ecosystem

There are more than 950 Chinooks in 20 countries according to the manufacturer, and the platform has been in use with the US Army since 1962.

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Notably, the final contract for the Block I units were agreed with South Korea (18) and Spain (one) in July 2023, which will conclude in 2027; both blocks will coexist in the heavy-lift space in the meantime.

As it stands, the Chinook is a multi-mission aircraft used by the US Army, Army Reserve, National Guard and 20 other countries including Australia, Canada, Greece, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates and the UK.

The Chinook is also gaining new customers beyond its long-standing consumer base. Germany will also adopt the rotorcraft platform for the first time, following a Foreign Military Sale for 60 Block II units worth €7.8bn ($8.5bn). Delivery will take place between 2027 and 2032, in contrast to earlier expectations that the first unit would be delivered in 2026. This extensive global support base was an attractive motivation for the deal. The future form of support may be the transfer of spares and equipment, like the UK’s Boxer circumstance, or potentially, knowledge sharing, in which Germany would go on deployments with other Chinook users.