US Army Special Operations Aviation Command (USASOAC) has awarded Boeing a USD 240 million (EUR 222 million) contract to produce five remanufactured MH-47G Block II Chinook aircraft, Boeing announced on 27 March 2025.
The award means that the US Army now has a total of 51 MH-47G Block II aircraft under contract. Deliveries of the aircraft just ordered are scheduled to begin in 2027, while Boeing anticipates completing upgrading the entirety of the USASOAC Chinook fleet in early 2030.
Compared to the MH-47G, the MG-47G Block II features a digital cockpit called the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) and takes in the upgrades incorporated into the CH-47F Block II. It also features an inflight refuelling capability, a defensive aids suite and low-level/adverse weather piloting aids such as forward-looking infrared and multi-mode/terrain-following radar. As a special forces-roled aircraft it is armed with two 7.62 mm M134 Miniguns and two M240 7.62 mm machine guns.
“Supporting the needs of our special operators continues to be critically important,” Heather McBryan, cargo programmes vice president and programme manager for Boeing Defense, Space & Security, was quoted as saying in a company press release. “USASOAC has unique and complex mission requirements, so it’s vital we provide the enhanced capabilities of the MH-47G Block II as quickly as possible.”
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