With the CH-47F Chinook helicopter in full-rate production, Boeing [BA] is eyeing international sales, according to a company official.
“India is the big potential market for everybody in the business,” Jack Dougherty, director, Boeing H-47 programs, said in an interview Oct. 16.
India is projected to be the third largest world economy in the next couple of decades, and is going on something of a defense spending spree, preparing to buy some 126 fighters. The competition pits the Boeing and Lockheed Martin [LMT] jets against front line fighters from Russia, France, Sweden, and the Eurofighter Consortium.
India also has expressed a desire to buy medium- to heavy-lift helicopters, which is where the Chinook would be a candidate, he said. India requires competition for everything and if there was literally only had one bidder, the request for proposals (RFP) would be cancelled and reopened.
An RFP for the helicopters could be expected late this year or early next year, Dougherty said. “It’s kind of uncharted territory for us.”
Boeing doesn’t have experience with India’s procurement process since the United States has not been a supplier of military equipment to India for some time.
Russia is the incumbent, but without seeing the requirements, Boeing would be in the hunt, as would others, Dougherty said.
Chinook capability matches the geography, he said. India is not only large, but mountainous, so a capable aircraft that can fly at high altitude would be strategically important.
Boeing has an expectation of a contract with Canada in the near term, with no problems that he knows of, and Dougherty was there recently.
The Netherlands has ordered new Chinooks, Dougherty said (Defense Daily, Feb. 1, 2006). “We have significant international interest,” in Chinook from countries such as Australia, and others he is not allowed to discuss.
“Our production line is running at three a month, and we say we have capacity for five a month before we add additional capacity, so we’re able to entertain additional international opportunities,” Dougherty said.
The CH-47F Chinook completed operational testing in the spring and the Army acquisition executive authorized full rate production, leading to the first unit equipped in the 101st Airborne Division in August (Defense Daily, June 22, July 18, Aug. 17).
Boeing and the Army work on a road map which looks at the Chinook F-model configuration two years or four years from now and examines options.
It’s mostly “not real sexy stuff,” he said, because it is working on obsolescence issues or software additions.
“We’re working in the area of improvements in terms of infrared suppression with the Army and we’re working in areas under our own funding, identification of improving performance, such as aerodynamic blades that might have more lift than existing blades that we have today,” he said.
Boeing blade designers are all part of one group, though some work in Pennsylvania where the Chinook is built, and some in Arizona, where Apache production resides. There’s also some collaboration with other blade makers, such as AgustaWestland.
Another area of interest is the face gear technology Boeing and Northstar Aerospace are working on for Apache Block III.
“We’re spending Chinook money to understand how the face gear technology could apply to the tandem rotor configuration,” Dougherty said. “The focus is more for use on a growth version of Chinook, for example, if requirements evolve for a power train upgrade. The Chinook program is getting a good look at the technology as the Apache program evolves, which could eventually, if required, be spiraled into the right H-47 program.”