First Of 452 Helos On Order With US Army
Representatives with Boeing tell ANN the first production CH-47F
Chinook helicopter for the US Army recently began Operational
Testing (OT) at Ft. Campbell, KY. The aircraft successfully
completed acceptance and developmental flight testing in December
2006.
"The new CH-47F is characterized by technology," said Jack
Dougherty, director, Boeing H-47 Programs. "The aircraft is
equipped with a new digital cockpit and advanced avionics to meet
the needs of current and future warfighters."
The flight tests will be conducted by Bravo Company, 7th
Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade,
101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). The acceptance flight phase
included engine performance, communication and navigation
verifications in addition to basic aircraft functionality
testing.
The OT phase, which ends in April, includes more than 60 flight
test hours that simulate a wide range of mission scenarios. The
Army will field the aircraft in July 2007.
"The arrival of the first CH-47Fs to the 101st Airborne Division
brings us one step closer to employing the most advanced heavy-lift
helicopter in the Global War on Terror," said US Army Lt. Col.
Thomas Todd, CH-47F product manager.
The aircraft is the first of 452 CH-47F helicopters included in
the US Army Cargo Helicopter modernization program. It features a
newly designed, modernized airframe and a Rockwell Collins Common
Avionics Architecture System cockpit and BAE Digital Advanced
Flight Control System. The advanced avionics provide improved
situational awareness for flight crews with an advanced digital map
display and a data transfer system that allows storing of preflight
and mission data. Improved survivability features include Common
Missile Warning and Improved Countermeasure Dispenser Systems.
The new CH-47F is the result of implementing lean manufacturing
techniques, which reduced the overall part count, simplified the
manufacturing and assembly process, facilitated the provision of
totally new airframes for all CH-47Fs and generated a cost savings
of more than 30 percent. The new components will reduce operating
and support costs, improve the aircraft's structural integrity and
extend the Chinook's service life.
Powered by two 4,868-horsepower Honeywell engines, the new
CH-47F can reach speeds greater than 175 mph and transport payloads
weighing more than 21,000 lbs. The CH-47F, with the Robertson
Aviation Extended Range Fuel System, has a mission radius greater
than 400 miles.