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CH-47F Block II

The H-47 Chinook Block II is intended to rapidly and affordably achieve next-generation heavy-lift capabilities. The Army wanted to restart production of the Boeing MH-47G Chinook special mission helicopter in a new Block II design. The new Block II variants would reportedly replace some or all of SOCOM’s 61 Block I MH-47Gs. The Block II upgrades are intended to improve the Chinook’s performance (range, payload, and lifting capacity at higher altitudes and hotter ambient temperatures) and are expected to reduce operating costs.

By 2021, the Army planned to field a new “Block 2” upgraded Chinook F which will increase the aircraft’s ability to function in what’s called “high-hot” conditions of 6,000 feet/95-degrees Fahrenheit where lower air pressure makes it more difficult to operate and maneuver a helicopter.

The Block 2 Chinook will also be engineered to accommodate a larger take-off maximum weight of 54,000 pounds, allowing it to sling-load the Army’s new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle underneath. This provides the Army with what it calls a “mounted maneuver” capability wherein it can reposition vehicles and other key combat-relevant assets around the battlefield in a tactically-significant manner without need to drive on roads. This will be particularly helpful in places such as Afghanistan where mountainous terrain and lacking infrastructure can make combat necessary movements much more challenged.

Barring a Block II configuration, Chinooks cannot lift the Army's already-fielded Humvee replacement, the Joint Light Transport Vehicle. A non-upgraded Chinook would struggle to lift, with the concomitant projectiles and crew, the Army's M777 howitzer.

The upgrades will not, however, provide the dramatic increases in performance that the Army anticipates from the FVL technology it plans to incorporate into its FLRAA and FARA fleets. In particular, a Block II Chinook’s speed would be about 100 knots slower than what the Army hopes to achieve with the FLRAA. That difference could limit the Army’s ability to take advantage of the FLRAA’s speed in situations where heavy lift is also needed. Boeing’s H-47 Chinook Block II is powered by cutting-edge technologies to lift more throughout the envelope – especially in high, hot operating conditions – all of which enable soldiers to meet tomorrow’s heavy-lift mission requirements. Not only does Block II improve readiness for the U.S. Army and Special Operations warfighters, it also limits future sustainment costs and ensures that the Chinook fleet will be available to serve for decades to come.

The program also supports an essential industrial base, allowing key suppliers within the aerospace sector to remain productive while safeguarding American jobs. With more than 950 Chinooks in 20 countries, the program continues to deliver unrivaled production, maintenance and sustainment cost efficiencies. The H-47 Chinook program supports more than 20,000 jobs and 360 suppliers in 40 states, and is relied on by the U.S. Army and 19 other countries around the globe. Chinook Block II production will leverage and strengthen our manufacturing base which will guarantee timely support to both the production line and soldiers in the field.

Chinook Block II combines new technologies, including the Advanced Chinook Rotor Blade, redesigned fuel tanks, a strengthened fuselage, and an improved drivetrain – all aimed at increasing lift capability. With these technological advancements, Chinook Block II will provide commonality across the fleet and enable our soldiers to return home safely for decades.

Since taking over as the Chairman of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee, Donald Norcross (NJ-01) led the fight to keep the Chinook production line open. Norcross has worked in tandem with Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), whose district houses Boeing’s Ridley Park facility, where the Chinook is manufactured. The plant employs over 4,000 skilled workers who build the Chinook and deliver the helicopter to the Army, on average, 53 days ahead of schedule.

"There is no suitable replacement for the Chinook, and delaying or ending this program would have significant consequences both in terms of cost and military readiness, not to mention jeopardizing jobs for people in my district.” said Congresswoman Scanlon. “Last year in FY2020, Congress assertively supported the continuation of the CH-47 F Block II program, and we must continue to do so. I commend Chairman Norcross and Ranking Member Hartzler for their attention to this critical matter and look forward to working with them further throughout this process.”

the Chinook has an outsized role among the platforms that support warfighters. It is the Army's only heavy-lift rotatorcraft capable of moving troops and equipment throughout the theater. Indeed, Army leaders have emphasized the importance of the Block II upgrade to ensure the preservation of this payload and lift capacity in the coming decades. Postponing the Block II upgrade, which appeared to be ahead of schedule and under budget, would raise significant questions regarding possible impacts on the warfighter as well as the Block II's longer-term budgetary costs.

The Army planned to modernize its entire fleet of CH-47 and MH-47G heavy-lift helicopters by upgrading the aircraft to the improved Block II configuration, as indicated in the December 2017 CH-47 SAR. In its budget request for the 2020 fiscal year, the Army reduced Chinook Block II purchases for 2020 through 2024 from 72 to 34 aircraft, and it limited those upgrades to the much smaller MH-47G fleet used by special operations forces. Subsequent statements by Army officials described the service’s intent to defer or cancel Block II upgrades to the larger CH-47 fleet and redirect funding previously slated for those upgrades to higher-priority modernization efforts.

If the Army canceled the Chinook, it might need to begin developing an entirely new heavy-lift aircraft in the 2030s, when the oldest CH-47Fs would be approaching 25 years of age. An entirely new heavy-lift aircraft would certainly cost much more than Chinook Block II upgrades.