Bundeswehr has made an armament decision to procure 60 heavy CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters by 2030!

• German Parliament still has to approve the decision on a corresponding 25 million euro bill.
• NATO commonality in fleet to be explored on selection of CH-47F Chinooks.
• Special €100 billion fund to upgrade the underequipped armed forces will see the procurement through.

Bundeswehr selects CH-47F Chinooks !

50 years old fleet of CH-53 helicopters are not proving Germany to be battle ready, and the recent Russian invasion has made the country take multiple steps to reinforce it's armed forces a special upgrade funding of €100 billion.

On June 1st, The German Department of Defense has made an important decision to procure 60 heavy CH-47F transport helicopters by 2030.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook , that is used by multiple countries in different variants, is a tandem rotor helicopter developed by American rotorcraft company Vertol and manufactured by Boeing Vertol.

“We carefully weighed up the advantages and disadvantages as well as the risks – and then unanimously voted in favor of this model. The Chinook is modern and tried and tested. With this model we are strengthening our ability to cooperate in Europe." 

"In addition, we are getting a larger fleet here and gaining flexibility," said Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht. She had previously informed the Bundestag about the decision in her speech on the 2022 defense budget.

The CH-47F Chinook helicopters can carry a payload of 24,000 lb (10,886 kg), or 33–55 troops, 24 stretchers and 3 attendants during it's missions with a range of 400 nmi (460 mi, 740 km) at a speed of 196 mph (315 km/h).

Germany believes in the proven history and missions of the CH-47F, those come from the US armaments company Boeing-Vertol and has been used by the US armed forces since 2007. 

Defense budget of €50.4 billion, that will be spent over the next five years, will provide the necessary funding and  the Bundeswehr gets the modernized "Block II Standard Range" version. 

The helicopter can transport around 40 cubic meters of material over a distance of up to 1,000 kilometers. The Bundeswehr models are also equipped so that they can be refueled in the air. 

NATO fleet commonality to be explored !

A number of European nations also use the transport helicopter : for example the Netherlands, with which Germany works closely . Bundeswehr  says,

More than 500 CH-47F are deployed in the USA and Europe, which increases the interoperability of the transport helicopter in cooperation, for example, within the framework of NATO. Pilots and mechanics from different nations are trained for the helicopter. 

By deciding on a product that is available on the market and used worldwide, the technical, time and financial risks of the procurement project are reduced. 

"Global coverage with this system was a crucial point," said General Eberhard Zorn, Inspector General of the German Armed Forces. "We will work with him over a very long useful life."

The CH-47F will replace the CH-53, the Bundeswehr's previous heavy transport helicopter. This has been used by the German armed forces for almost 50 years. The last CH-53s are to be decommissioned in 2030. 

 For the fixed wings fleet , Berlin aims to buy up to 35 of the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth jets , those will replace its ageing Tornado aircraft.

Source and Credit :  Bundeswehr