Boeing and Korean Air have entered a memorandum of understanding related to Seoul's plan to upgrade its aging fleet of CH-47D Chinook transport helicopters.
"Under the MOU, Korean Air and Boeing will collaborate technically on the Chinook design, modification flight-testing and air worthiness upgrades," says the Korean firm in a statement.
The pair hope to be selected for the upgrade, and also to look at international Chinook opportunities.
At the Seoul ADEX show in 2015, Boeing stated its interest in the upgrade programme, suggesting that South Korea update its Chinooks to the CH-47F standard. This would see the rotorcraft receive new engines, new avionics, new cockpits, and a full defensive measures suite.
Flight Fleets Analyzer shows that the South Korean army operates 31 CH-47Ds and six HH-47Ds. The average age of the CH-47Ds is 37.2 years, while that of the HH-47Ds is 19 years.
The CH-47Ds are used as utility transports, while the HH-47Ds are used mainly for search and rescue.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
