Boeing Wins $276M US Army Chinook Block II Manufacturing Contract

Boeing was awarded a $276 million contract for engineering and manufacturing development for the US Army CH-47F Block II program.

Work is expected to be completed by July 27, 2020.

U.S. Army’s CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift helicopter. Plans call for delivering 542 upgraded helicopters from 2023 into the 2040s.

Block II Chinooks will be retrofitted from current CH-47F and special operations MH-47G models, numbering 473 and 69 airframes, respectively. The upgrade introduces new advanced design composite rotor blades, an improved drive train, single (as opposed to segmented) sponson fuel tanks and strengthened aft, pylon and nose sections.

The Army granted the program Milestone B approval to move from technology maturation to engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) on April 5. Boeing will build and test three prototypes under the EMD phase; it expects the Army will make a Milestone C decision to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) in 2021, with first deliveries following in 2023.