By Ann Roosevelt
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The Army’s CH-47 Chinook helicopter program is in the fourth year of its first multi-year contract, and the service and aircraft producer Boeing [BA] are moving toward another five-year contract.
“We’re executing on schedule and on budget,” said Col. Robert Marion, project manager, cargo helicopters. Preparations are under way for a second multiyear contract.
The Army program is about one-third complete, with 125 of 440 F aircraft delivered, officials said here at the Army Aviation Association of America annual conference.
Lt. Col. Brad Killen, project manager, CH-47F Helicopters, said the request for proposals for the second multi-year contract will likely come this summer. That would lift the program to the Army’s planned 440 aircraft.
The newest Chinook, the F model, has been fielded to six units now, with training taking place at the seventh unit, the 25th Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade in Hawaii. Training is gearing up for deploying the F models to a unit in Germany, as well.
Boeing has invested $130 million in renovating the helicopter production line, said Leanne Caret, vice president of H-47 Programs at Boeing Defense Space & Security/Mobility division.
Killen noted the new factory setup has new lighting, structures, and windows.
The “go to war” modifications are all done in a centralized center in Millville, N.J., Killen said, which has reduced logistics and workload.
Another initiative is that aviators train at their home station, after a deployment they can remain at home. The F model is fielded to them so they don’t have to go somewhere else to train.
The heavy-lift cargo helicopter also will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its first flight on Sept. 21.
Interest in Chinooks internationally continues to be strong, Caret said. With PM cargo, Boeing has submitted a proposal to Australia, which has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance (Defense Daily, March 30, 2010). Efforts also continue working with Taiwan and Turkey. The company also continues to receive funding for the U.K. Mark 6 program. Engineers have completed the preliminary design review and a critical design review comes this fall. For Canada, a critical design review was completed in December (Defense Daily, Aug. 11, 2009).
Requirements continue to come in from the field and users conference, Killen said. A continual request is for a new capability that allows new flooring that can be flipped over. One side has wheels, which make it very easy to load pallets on and off the aircraft. In Iraq and Afghanistan, aviators found they start off with one mission that may change. Boeing is running a competition for the flooring that will be decided later this year.