Boeing is formally offering the latest Block II variant of its venerable CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter to Poland.
The pitch was announced on 5 September at the International Defence Industry Exhibition in Kielce, Poland. Boeing’s push in the former Warsaw Pact country comes after Poland finalised a deal for another Boeing product – AH-64E Apache attack helicopters – earlier this month.
That $10 billion order covers 96 gunships to replace the Polish land forces’ current attack aviation platform: the outdated Soviet-era Mil Mi-24.
“The combination of the Apache and Chinook helicopters provides greater operational effectiveness and the ability to conduct a wider range of missions,” says Adam Hodges, Boeing’s head of business development for vertical lift programmes.
Boeing officials have previously told FlightGlobal they often pitch the heavy-lift CH-47F to Apache operators, citing the twin-rotor’s speed and payload as ideal for providing logistics support to AH-46Es, including by transporting ammunition and fuel.
The latest Block II version of the long-serving CH-47 offers an extra 1,814kg (4,000lb) of payload and increased mission range over the existing model, achieved via an upgraded drivetrain, reinforced airframe and enhanced fuel system.
Boeing says the latest Chinook is also more reliable, having a new rotor system that requires less unscheduled maintenance.
The US Army committed to acquiring the CH-47F Block II for its future heavy-lift fleet earlier this year, part of the service’s latest aviation strategy. The decision ended years of uncertainty about the future of Boeing’s Chinook assembly line in Philadelphia.
Boeing delivered the first example – a remanufactured Block I aircraft – to the army in July. The company has separately been delivering the MH-47G special-operations variant of the Block II Chinook to US Special Operations Command – relying on those to sustain production.
Germany also opted for the latest CH-47F Block II model – with Berlin approving an $8.5 billion deal for 60 aircraft in 2023.
