Bild am Sonntag newspaper reported that Germany will buy 60 CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters from Boeing (BA.N) worth around 5 billion euros ($5.40 billion) as it upgrades its military armour. The helicopters will be financed from the 100 billion euros planned special fund for the military which Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The helicopters could be delivered in 2025/26 at the earliest and would replace the roughly 50-year-old CH-53G helicopters made by the Sikorsky unit of U.S. arms makers Lockheed Martin. Competitors for the deal included Lockheed Martin’s CH-53K King Stallion. But the cheaper Boeing model and the fact that many NATO allies also fly the Chinook were the reasons for deciding on the CH-47F.
Boeing and Airbus Helicopters signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to partner on the H-47 Chinook in support of Germany’s Schwerer Transporthubschrauber (STH) heavy-lift helicopter requirements. The new partnership between Boeing and Airbus aims at bolstering German defense readiness while supporting German industry and economic growth. The partnership will draw on the strengths expertise of the world’s leading aerospace companies to deliver advanced capability, readiness and innovative solutions as part of the German Chinook industry offering.The partnership agreement builds on the existing Chinook partnership team consisting of AERO-Bildung GmbH, CAE Elektronik GmbH, ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH, Lufthansa Technik, Honeywell Aerospace and Rolls-Royce Deutschland.
Boeing is committed to working with German industry on aircraft sustainment, including post-delivery modifications and installations, aircraft maintenance, supply chain services, training and logistical support, as well as the potential for sub-systems Maintenance Repair and Overhaul work. The partnership with Airbus Helicopters reaffirms oBoeing commitment to strengthen cooperation with German industry. With Chinook offering and together with German industry partners, the partnership will create more than 500 highly skilled jobs in-country, all in direct support of the Bundeswehr’s heavy-lift mission requirements.
The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The Chinook is a heavy-lift helicopter that is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Chinook, is from the Native American Chinook people of Oregon and Washington state. It remains one of the few aircraft to be developed during the early 1960s – along with the fixed-wing Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft – that has remained in both production and frontline service for over 50 years. The CH-47F is an advanced multi-mission helicopter for the U.S. Army and international defense forces. It contains a fully integrated, digital cockpit management system, Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) Cockpit and advanced cargo-handling capabilities that complement the aircraft’s mission performance and handling characteristics.
