Chinook going strong

Grey Havoc

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Demand Drives Chinook Production To 2020

Jun 8, 2011



By Robert Wall, Amy Butler


PHILADELPHIA — A strong showing during Afghanistan war operations has driven enough U.S. and international CH-47 Chinook interest to assure production until the end of the decade.

The situation is a sharp turnaround from a mere eight years ago. At that time, Boeing had 32 aircraft on order and a fleet of 621 helicopters. At the time production was projected to cease around 2013. Now the fleet has grown to more than 777 helos, with 210 more on order, proposals in for 37 more and campaigns under way for 214, according to Boeing’s Chinook vice president, Leane Caret.

The biggest pending order is for the second multiyear production lot for the U.S. Army, with 155 CH-47Fs slated to be purchased starting in 2013.

This month the Army also is expected to sign a contract for eight MH-47Gs, the latest and last batch planned to be acquired for the 160th Regiment. The Army also is discussing which features available on the latest MH-47Gs will be backfitted to the 61 bought earlier.

In the U.K., Boeing is still waiting for the contract for 14 more CH-47s to be finalized. Critical design review for that version, the Mk.6 with a Thales flight deck, is due in September. Long-lead items have already been ordered, with production due to begin early next year if the order is finalized.

The Netherlands, which has six CH-47Fs on order, should start taking delivery of its first aircraft in the fourth quarter. The country also is looking to buy perhaps 11 more.

Other possible customers include Turkey, with a potential sale of six CH-47Fs; an unidentified Middle East customer looking to possibly buy 16; and Australia, where Boeing is hoping to place seven “Fs.” Caret hopes the foreign military sales deal with Australia will close this year.


http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/asd/2011/06/08/04.xml&headline=Demand
 
"In the U.K., Boeing is still waiting for the contract for 14 more CH-47s to be finalized..."

Have they resolved the issue with the avionics software documentation ?? AFAIR, several new Chinooks were sat in hangar in UK awaiting Boeing's decision to 'open their sealed boxes' and show UK developers the code...
 
As of 2009, they were in the process of refitting those eight HC.3s with the same avionics as the older HC.2s and .2As. They're then going to upgrade the whole HC.2/2A and HC.3 fleet to a new configuration (HC4/5/6) with more modern Thales TopDeck avionics. Ironically, the first plan after the original avionics were rejected was to upgrade the HC.3s with TopDeck, but that was rejected. So now they get to be "reverted" to HC.2 standard first and then updated with TopDeck. That's efficiency for you...
 
"Boeing Chinook: 50 years of deliveries" video by Boeing

The first Boeing Chinook helicopter was delivered to the U.S. Army in 1962. Nicole Piasecki, daughter of Frank Piasecki, who created the tandem rotor design, talks about her father's contribution to the aviation world.

http://youtu.be/syVyulr3Sxc
 
We may be looking at a 'French' Chinook, though it remains to be seen if it will survive the inevitable domestic backlash, not to mention the mandarins in Brussels:
 
To borrow from a Janes article,


Dog-all if I can find the article from not too long ago speculating development of an improved engine for the Chinook, by starting with two of the larger GE 38s as is used in threes on the new CH-53K King Stallion.
 
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