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Boeing Awarded $271 Million Contract to Rebuild MH-47Hs for US Special Ops Command

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Boeing Awarded $271 Million Contract to Rebuild MH-47Hs for US Special Ops Command

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US Army 160th SOAR MH-47G Special Operations Aircraft (SOA)
US Army 160th SOAR MH-47G Special Operations Aircraft (SOA)

The Boeing Co., Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, was awarded a firm-fixed-price modification to an existing delivery order with a value of $271,215,944 for procurement of MH-47G renew build rotary wing aircraft in support of U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). Fiscal 2023 and 2024 procurement and aircraft procurement, Army (APA) funds in the amount of $271,215,944 are being obligated at time of award. The majority of the work will be performed in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, and is expected to be completed by May 2027. This contract was awarded through a noncompetitive modification to an existing delivery order in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation 6.302-1. USSOCOM, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a tandem-rotor helicopter originally developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and now manufactured by Boeing Defense, Space & Security. 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. The military version of the helicopter has been exported to nations across the world; the U.S. Army and the Royal Air Force have been its two largest users. 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 60 years.

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Competitors in the 2023 U.S. Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) Best Dive Team Competition jump from a MH-47 helicopter over Patton Water Drop Zone at the U.S. Army at NAS Key West, Florida Sept. 26, 2023
Competitors in the 2023 U.S. Army jump from a MH-47 helicopter over Patton Water Drop Zone at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School’s Special Forces Underwater Operations School at NAS Key West, Florida Sept. 26, 2023. (U.S. Army photo by K. Kassens)

The MH-47 Special Operations Aircraft (SOA) are elite, long-range helicopters employed by the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), equipped with an array of specialized features. These aircraft boast aerial refueling capabilities, rapid-rope descent systems, and tailored equipment for diverse operational needs. Functioning across varied terrains and climates, the MH-47 helicopters execute both overt and covert operations, including infiltrations, exfiltrations, air assaults, resupply missions, and sling operations. Their versatility extends to shipboard, urban, and water-based operations, parachute drops, forward aerial refueling, combat search and rescue, and handling mass casualties.

The MH-47 Special Operations Aircraft (SOA) are elite, long-range helicopters employed by the US Army’s 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne), equipped with an array of specialized features. These aircraft boast aerial refueling capabilities, rapid-rope descent systems, and tailored equipment for diverse operational needs. Functioning across varied terrains and climates, the MH-47 helicopters execute both overt and covert operations, including infiltrations, exfiltrations, air assaults, resupply missions, and sling operations. Their versatility extends to shipboard, urban, and water-based operations, parachute drops, forward aerial refueling, combat search and rescue, and handling mass casualties.

U.S. Navy's Special Boat Team 12 MH-47G Special Operations Aircraft (SOA)
An MH-47G from the 160th 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment Airborne (SOAR(A) conducts Maritime External Air Transportation System training with the U.S. Navy’s Special Boat Team 12. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Christopher Prows)

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