UK invests £1.4-billion to modernise Chinook fleet.

According to information published by the UK Government on May 20, 2021, a £1.4-billion contract to modernize the Chinook fleet over the next 10 years has been agreed. The deal will see British forces benefit from 14 of the latest iconic heavy-lift helicopters.

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Boeing CH-47 Chinook (Picture source: Blog Before Flight)

The order for the new aircraft signals the commitment made in the recent Defence Command Paper to invest over £85-billion on military equipment over the next four years to reform and renew our Armed Forces.

Proven in battle and operated in every major conflict since the Falklands War, the Chinook is a highly-versatile aircraft.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engined, tandem rotor, heavy-lift helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol. The CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name, Chinook, is from the Native American Chinook people of Washington state.

The military version of the helicopter has been exported to nations across the world; the U.S. Army and the Royal Air Force have been its two largest users.

The CH-47 is powered by two Lycoming T55 turboshaft engines, mounted on each side of the helicopter's rear pylon and connected to the rotors by drive shafts. Initial models were fitted with engines rated at 2,200 hp (1,600 kW) each.

It can carry up to 55 troops or up to approximately 10 tonnes of mixed cargo.