When Boeing rolled out the first CH-47A Chinook helicopter back in 1962, few could have realised just how enduring the programme would become. As Farnborough ushers in its first airshow of the new millennium, the Chinook stands alone as Boeing's longest running production programme.
Given the winds of change that have swept the aerospace industry and indeed the company itself since then, it is a truly remarkable story...John F. Kennedy was in the White House and the swinging Sixties' were only in their infancy when the inaugural CH-47A made its long-awaited debut. Since then the aircraft has cemented its position as the workhorse of the world's battlefields, and it continues to bring in hugely important revenue at home and abroad.
With no successor on the horizon, the US Army has handed Boeing Philadelphia the task of remanufacturing 300 of its 431 Chinooks to the new -F standard, some 20 years since the previous round of upgrades saw the creation of the venerable CH-47D. The upgrades will be carried out under the banner of the Improved Cargo Helicopter (ICH) programme at an estimated cost of $3 billion.
"We have the first two machines about to go into final assembly," says Jerry McMullan, CH-47 business development senior manager. "First roll-out will be in the second quarter of next year and right now we're talking to the US Government about go-ahead for initial low-rate production and establishing a long lead item contract. We hope to have that by the close of the year."
The programme is currently in the engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) phase, with low rate production set to comprise two lots of 11 and 17 aircraft over fiscal years 2002 and 2003. Production would then ramp up to 26 machines a year through to 2013. "There is an immense amount of pride within the programme at the longevity the Chinook has achieved," says McMullan. "The structure is so sound that, as long as we keep fixing it, it can go on almost indefinitely. And, of course, we're still producing new aircraft."
The remanufacture to -F standard makes financial sense for the US Army. It avoids overhauls, saves costs and reduces downtime - without the same financial burden of new-build machines. It includes uprated engines, improved avionics and structural strengthening designed to keep the aircraft operational for the next 15 years and beyond.
The CH-47D's twin AlliedSignal T55-L-712 turboshafts will be upgraded to -714A standard, giving 20-25% more power in 'hot and high conditions' - at 4,000ft (1,200m) and 350C. Meanwhile, a Rockwell Collins integrated avionics suite will be installed, based around the one housed in the MH-47E special forces variant.
Boeing is also studying the introduction of a low maintenance rotor, featuring a newly designed main rotor head, eliminating the use of lubricants - a part of the programme which already involves close co-operation with the United Kingdom, where the RAF operates the CH-47SD international model of the Chinook. The -SD shares 80% of the features of the -F model. "Our aim is to be where we're needed, when we're needed," McMullen explains. "That means having the ability to communicate in a co-ordinated way, with the latest communications and navigation aids."
Source: Flight Daily News
