US Army Special Operations orders two more Chinooks
Two 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment MH-47G Chinook helicopters hover above Banana River, Florida. (Photo: Staff Sgt Darius Sostre-Miroir)
US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) has awarded Boeing a US$115 million contract for two more MH-47G Block II Chinook aircraft and begin advanced procurement on future helicopters.
With a reinforced airframe, redesigned fuel tanks and new avionics, the MH-47G Block II heavy-lift helicopter improves USASOAC’S capability and enables future modernisation efforts in an effort to keep the heavy-lift helicopter flying for decades to come.
The order is the latest by the US Army for MH-47G Block IIs. Boeing announced in October 2020 that it had received a contract for nine additional MH-47G Block IIs, in November 2021 $212.62 million for six more and in March 2022 a $194.63 million contract six more remanufactured MH-47Gs.
More than 600 CH-47F/MH-47G Chinooks have been delivered with a further 140 on order.
About 500 are in US service and 14 of the type have been ordered by the UK. Australia, Canada, Egypt, India, Italym the Netherlands and UAE have all ordered more than a dozen of the type.
Related Programmes in Defence Insight
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Air Warfare
-
Northrop Grumman notes $477 million loss as it manages higher B-21 programme costs
In its Q1 earnings call, the company disclosed a US$477 million pretax loss related to the programme as it works to scale up.
-
India set to sign Rafale-M deal
New Delhi gears up to sign Navy Rafale deal as talks swirl around a potential assembly line in Nagpur.
-
Lockheed Martin wants to “supercharge” F-35 after NGAD loss
The investment in technologies developed for Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) aircraft bid will now be applied to its F-35 and F-22 aircraft, according to Lockheed Martin CEO James Taiclet.
-
USSOCOM outlines acquisition priorities for FY2026
The service is seeking all-domain autonomous and counter-robotic solutions as well as deep sensing and assured access technologies.
-
Why SCAF and GCAP should seek common ground
Can international industrial collaboration to develop common technologies applicable to different future aircraft programmes – like GCAP or SCAF – prevail in the face of politics?
-
USAF evaluates potential E-7A upgrades
The US Air Force is assessing and identifying capability upgrades for the AEW&C aircraft, including the possible replacement of the E-7A’s MESA radar and electronic warfare self-protection system.