U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command has placed an order for six additional MH-47G Block II Chinooks for delivery beginning in 2023, Boeing has announced.
The order, which is part of a $246.48 million contract, is in addition to two dozen previously ordered Block II Chinooks, four of which have already been delivered.
The heavy lift transport helicopters feature:
- lighter fuel tanks
- an improved drivetrain
- advanced rotor blades
- a reengineered airframe and strengthened fuselage for heavier loads, such as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle
The aircraft are also the first to incorporate the Active Parallel Actuator Subsystem (APAS), which helps improve flight safety and assist pilots performing difficult maneuvers, Boeing said.
“APAS is one of many next-level capabilities that allows the Chinook to deliver more payload— faster, farther, and smarter,” said Andy Builta, Boeing vice president and H-47 program manager, in a statement.
Boeing delivered the first Block II to U.S. Special Operations Command in September 2020.
“The new Chinook will give U.S. Special Operations Forces significantly more capability for extremely challenging missions and will enable them to conduct those missions on the future battlefield,” Builta said at the time.
The Block II orders are part of a modernization plan aimed at updating the Army’s aging Chinook heavylift cargo helicopter fleet, which first entered service in the early 1960s.
In early October, the Army signed a $136 million contract for CH-47F Block II Chinooks, with delivery of four aircraft beginning in 2023, Boeing said.
The CH-47F features upgrades that provide additional lift capability and increased commonality among U.S. and allied fleets.
“The CH-47F Block II provides an increased payload and operational reach beyond the existing CH-47F capability,” according to the U.S. Army Acquisition Support Center.
“The Block II will also enable the Army to better support the rapid response capability necessary for forcible and early entry contingency missions as well as tactical and operational nonlinear, noncontiguous simulations, or sequential operations.”
