U.S. Army Awards Collins $427M for CH-47 Chinook Modernization

Avionics upgrades will support modernization and sustainment for the branch’s workhorse heavy-lift helicopter.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 at 02:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

RTX said avionics system updates will help ensure mission readiness for the Army’s CH-47 fleet. [Credit: U.S. Army]

Key Takeaways:

The U.S. Army plans to spend over $1 billion to modernize its CH-47 Chinook helicopter fleet, aiming to keep them operational until the 2060s.
This modernization includes a $472 million contract with Collins Aerospace for advanced, "open" avionics to address obsolescence and integrate mission systems.
Boeing is also providing up to 60 CH-47F Block II variants, which feature improved lift capacity, extended mission range, and reduced maintenance, alongside testing automated flight technologies like Approach-to-X (A2X) to decrease pilot workload.

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The U.S. Army now plans to spend north of $1 billion to modernize its fleet of venerable CH-47 Chinook helicopters in order to keep them flying into the 2060s.

RTX on Tuesday announced that the Army awarded Collins Aerospace a contract worth up to $472 million for avionics upgrades designed to keep the platform mission-ready well into the future. Combined with its October 2025 award of more than $870 million to Boeing for up to 60 CH-47F Block II variants, the Army’s spending on Chinook modernization could climb to ten figures.