Germany selects Chinook to provide heavy-lift capabilities

By Evan Ochsner / June 1, 2022 at 1:53 PM

Germany will buy Chinook helicopters from Boeing to provide heavy-lift capabilities for its military, the nation's defense department announced Wednesday.

The CH-47F Chinook will help strengthen the nation’s ability to cooperate in Europe with a modern and proven platform that is already in use with other NATO partners, Germany’s defense department said in a Tweet. The German parliament still has to approve the buy, according to the Tweet.

Boeing said in a statement that it will work to finalize the deal with the U.S. and German governments.

“Boeing is honored the German government has selected the CH-47F Chinook for its STH heavy-lift helicopter requirements,” the statement said. “With the Chinook, Germany will operate the most affordable, proven and NATO interoperable heavy-lift helicopter.”

The company said it looked forward to providing Germany with heavy-lift capabilities “for decades to come.”

The order provides a boon for a program that has at times appeared to have an uncertain future in the U.S., where the Army has cut spending from the helicopter's budget in order to fund its Future Vertical Lift programs, one of which could take over some Chinook missions, the Army has said.

Chinook was one of multiple aviation programs the Army cut procurement money from in its fiscal year 2023 request.

Congress in its FY-22 budget nearly doubled Chinook F Block II procurement funding above the Army’s initial request, and authorizers previously chided the service for underfunding the program in its FY-22 request.

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