Boeing has announced a plans to modernize entire Spanish CH-47D Chinook helicopter fleet to the CH-47F configuration.
Boeing will upgrade all 17 of Spain’s CH-47D Chinook (designated HT.17 in national service) helicopters to the F-model configuration, adding features such as the digital automatic flight control system, common avionics architecture system and advanced cargo handling to align that country’s fleet with those of other nations.
The new F-model configuration will replace the 17 CH-47Ds that the Spanish Army has fielded since the 1980s.
This is the first order from a non-U.S. customer placed through a contract Boeing and the U.S. Army signed in July. That contract covers six new F-models for the U.S. and options for up to 150 more Chinooks for U.S. and international customers. Deliveries to Spain begin in 2021.
“The Chinook is a versatile aircraft flown by eight NATO nations, including Spain,” said Chuck Dabundo, vice president, Cargo and Utility Helicopters and H-47 program manager. “With this contract, Spain’s Chinook crews will enjoy the platform’s current technology and capability, while the country gets an affordable upgrade that builds on its existing H-47 investment.”
The CH-47F is a twin-engine, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter. In addition to the U.S. Army and Special Operations Forces, Chinooks are currently in service or under contract with 19 international defense forces. It can fly at speeds exceeding 175 mph and carry payloads greater than 21,000 lbs. In 2017, Boeing and the U.S. Army announced
To date, Boeing has delivered more than 900 H-47 Chinook helicopters of all variants, and the platform is on order or operated by 20 countries including the eight NATO nations of Canada, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
