Boeing Helicopters CH-47 Chinook

   Though the US Army was initially interested in the Vertol 107 (which became the H-46 Sea Knight), in 1959 it finally picked a much bigger project, under development since 1956. The prototype Boeing Vertol Model 114 Chinook flew on 21 September 1961, and since then over 1 160 have been built, including 136 from Agusta (Meridionali) in Italy and 54 by Kawasaki in Japan (CH-47J).

   The original CH-47A reached the US Army in December 1962, and Vertol built 349 before delivering 108 CH-47Bs with more powerful engines, followed by 233 CH-47Cs with 3 750-shp (2798-ekW) engines, increased fuel and, as a retrofit, glass fibre blades and blade-inspection systems.

   Boeing and Meridionali have sold Chinooks all over the world, export models including the Canadian CH-147 and RAF Chinook HC.Mk 1. The HC.Mk 1 was delivered with two cargo hooks, one rated at 9 000 kg and the other at 11 300 kg, and comprehensive nav/com avionics.

   Between 1982 and 1998 over 480 of the US Army's Chinooks were remanufactured to CH-47D standard with greatly enhanced capability; the RAF has also upgraded 32 of its surviving Chinooks to this standard as Chinook HC.Mk 2s and also received a further eight new-build HC.Mk 2s, as well as nine HC.Mk 3s, which are similar to the US Army's MH-47E special missions helicopter. Other nations operating Chinook in CH-47D International Chinook and CH-47SD Super D forms for export. In addition the CH-47F Improved Cargo Helicopter has been proposed as a new production version of the Chinook, which will serve the US Army through to 2033.