British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps commented this month on the 14 Boeing CH-47 "Chinook" transport helicopters ordered from the United States in 2021: "The procurement of these 'Chinook' helicopters is an important milestone in our efforts to to modernize and improve the agility of the UK Armed Forces and consolidate our ability to respond quickly to situations and threats around the world. (…) The 'Chinook' is one of our most iconic aircraft, having been used in every major conflict since the Falklands War. Delivering this deal will not only improve our capabilities but will also strengthen UK industry and its capabilities.”
(Photo: Portugall)
The Ministry of Defense in London reported that successful negotiations between its Defense Equipment & Support procurement department and the US government reduced the costs of elements of the program by more than £300 million (€351 million). In addition, British industry would benefit by an estimated £151 million (€177 million). The order, worth around 1.58 billion pounds (1.85 billion euros), will be handled through the US government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. This results in a system price of 132 million euros.
Das „Joint Helicopter Command“ im südenglischen Andover verfügt bereits über 60 „Chinooks“. Bei der zuletzt vom Vereinigten Königreich bestellten „Chinook“-Variante handelt es sich um den CH-47 ER (Extended Range), der über eine Reichweite von rund 1.000 Kilometern verfügt. Zum Vergleich: die Grundvariante CH-47F besitzt eine Reichweite von 610 Kilometern. Der CH-47 ER ist in der Lage, Luft-Luft-Betankung durchzuführen und bis zu 55 Soldaten oder zehn Tonnen Fracht zu transportieren bei einer Höchstgeschwindigkeit von 300 Stundenkilometern.
“Chinooks” also for the Bundeswehr
Last year, the Bundeswehr ordered 60 “Chinook” heavy transport helicopters of the CH-47F SR (Standard Range) Block II variant with aerial refueling capability worth almost eight billion euros from the USA as a successor to the Sikorsky CH-53G. This results in a system price of 133 million euros. Due to the ability to carry out air-to-air refueling, the shorter range compared to the ER variant is not that significant. The first aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in September 2027 and the last in January 2030. German procurement is also handled via the FMS program.
dr Gerd Portugall
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