Boeing is aiming to boost the production rate for its CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter to meet expected demand from the US military - including the US Air Force's recompeted CSAR-X combat search-and-rescue requirement - and potential export customers.
Eleven major suppliers drive Chinook lead times, and the manufacturer is working to establish long-term agreements to boost predictability, says Dave Palm, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems' director of business development for rotorcraft. "Our challenge is to build these things as fast as we can to get ahead of the US production schedule," he says.
Boeing currently produces two to three Chinooks a month at its Philadelphia site, but Palm says: "With CSAR and international opportunities, we could be up to six or seven a month within four years. Increasing our rate is a priority."
The company's current Chinook facility could accommodate a rate of around five aircraft a month, says programme manager Jack Dougherty, but growth options include expanding the existing building, moving into an adjacent site or building a new factory. A decision is expected during the fourth quarter of this year, following an expected late September announcement on the relaunched CSAR-X competition.
Source: Flight International
