Boeing [BA] recently said it received an approximately $370 million Army contract for 14 CH-47F Chinook helicopters to support Foreign Military Sales efforts.
Under the Dec. 28 contract, the aircraft will be delivered to the U.S. Army beginning in 2014; all but one of the aircraft are intended for Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
“This new aircraft sale brings our Chinook backlog to more than 200 aircraft for both domestic and international customers worldwide,” said Leanne Caret, H-47 programs vice president. “Boeing’s recent $130 million investment to create a world-class Chinook manufacturing facility near Philadelphia means we are well positioned to respond to this demand.”
The main Chinook manufacturing line was opened Memorial Day weekend 2011 and the line is producing five aircraft per month, she said.
On Dec. 29, the 47th Chinook aircraft of the year was delivered, the highest rate of delivery since the Vietnam War, she said.
“Moving into 2012, we plan to deliver over 65 aircraft,” Caret said, and the production rate will increase again to meet Army fielding requirements.
Seven of the new Chinooks will be delivered to the Australian Defence Force and six aircraft will be delivered to the UAE under the terms of previously announced Foreign Military Sales agreements. One additional aircraft is to be delivered to the U.S. Army to fulfill its own requirements.
“This sale is indicative of the tremendous interest from customers around the world who need best-in-class, multirole heavy-lift capabilities for military and humanitarian missions,” Caret said.
There are more than 450 Chinooks in operation with military forces in 17 countries around the world. Last summer, Boeing received a $1.6 billion contract for 14 Chinook for the United Kingdom, and delivery for them will begin in 2013.
Other international operators include Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Thailand, Taiwan, Greece, Korea and Spain.
The H-47 program is now at the midpoint of executing a multiyear contract for 191 CH-47F Chinook aircraft that was awarded in August 2008 and originally valued at $4.3 billion.
In November, Caret said the company submitted its proposal to the U.S. government for a second multiyear contract for 155 Chinooks for the U.S. Army. That proposal would be for “121 renew aircraft and 34 new build aircraft,” she said. The proposal is under evaluation by the Pentagon office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation (CAPE).
This second five-year, firm fixed-price proposal would provide the Army with close to the full complement of 464 Chinooks outlined in the Department of Defense program of record and would yield double-digit percentage savings over a single-year procurement strategy. A decision is expected early next year.
Army Project Manager for Cargo Helicopters Col. Robert Marion visited every deployed combat aviation brigade last year to hear them say, “Hey Sir, don’t change a thing” on the Chinook. When he pressed harder, asking soldiers what they’d like in an unconstrained environment, what did they want were two things already in progress and expected to be completed this year.
First is a new cargo on-load-off-load system that will be integrated into the floor and ballistic protection system. Also, there will be a new way to streamline maintenance for such things as continuous rotor smoothing.
Since completing the first CH-47F production aircraft in August 2006, Boeing has trained and equipped eight U.S. Army units and is in the process of equipping the ninth. Six units have completed deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, where the helicopter has logged nearly 70,000 flight hours and maintained an operational readiness rate of more than 85 percent conducting air assault, transport, medical evacuation and support operations.