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| Boeing Chinook News |
Are Ready For The Fight |
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| 22 July 2011: Army Chief Warrant Officer 3 Jason Franzen, CH-47F Acceptance Test Pilot, performs a preflight inspection on an Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter at Boeing's Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, facility. Each aircraft will be flown by active duty flight crews assigned to DCMA prior to final delivery to the customer.Click-N-Go Here for a larger view. |
| 2 December 2011: RIDLEY PARK, Pennsylvania - Near Philadelphia, Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) personnel play a critical role in two of the most distinct military aircraft in the U.S. inventory: the Boeing CH-47 helicopter and the Bell-Boeing V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft. |
| For the CH-47, everything from production to test flights is done on-site at Ridley Park. Commonly called the Chinook, the CH-47 is the tandem-rotor, medium/heavy-lift helicopter used by the Army. There have been more than 1,000 produced since being developed by Boeing Vertol. It is the fastest helicopter in the Army’s inventory. In September 2011, Boeing and defense leaders celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Chinook’s first flight, making it the longest continuously operating program in Boeing’s history. |
| For Army Major Dan Henzie, DCMA Boeing Philadelphia Chief of CH-47 Flight Operations, the ability to affect the final product being delivered to the warfighter is very rewarding. |
| “I know a lot of the guys, the end-users around the world, who rely on these machines,” said Henzie. “That really brings it home.” |
| Henzie is two years into a three year assignment at DCMA, after which he may return to an operational position. A career Chinook pilot, Henzie said being involved in the aircraft’s production has made him a better pilot. In addition to flying dozens of new helicopters prior to final delivery to their units, Henzie also has a greater understanding of the machine. “I know what a ‘perfect’ aircraft is supposed to feel like, and it makes me much more in tune with things that aren’t performing right.” |
| “Seeing it being built gives me more confidence in the aircraft,” Henzie added, “particularly knowing the care that DCMA people put into their work.” |
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| 23 July 2010: Karl Meixner, Defense Contract Management Agency Quality Assurance Specialist, performs a “safety of flight” inspection on the rear section of an CH-47F Chinook helicopter at Boeing’s Ridley Park, Pennsylvania production plant. The inspection is the final check before the aircraft is cleared for initial test flights. Meixner has more than 30 years experience working with aircraft - the past seven and a half with DCMA. Click-N-Go Here for a larger view. |
Digital Advanced Flight Control System |
| 9 June 2005, Johnson City, New York: BAE Systems has completed the first flight test of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook Digital Advanced Flight Control System (DAFCS). This first flight represents a significant milestone in the Chinook program. |
| "Achieving first flight in just over a year after contract award is a credit to the Boeing and BAE Systems teams, and will ultimately benefit the warfighter by bringing the modernized helicopter to the field quickly," said Jack Dougherty, director of Boeing Chinook Programs. |
| The DAFCS replaces a legacy flight control system on CH-47D helicopters as Boeing upgrades 300 of those aircraft to the F-model standard under contract to the U.S. Army. Its digital design provides significantly greater reliability, maintainability, and flexibility than the existing analog control. The system also incorporates a built-in diagnostic system for detecting and analyzing system failures and faults. |
| "The CH-47 has been in service with the Army for more than 40 years and still represents a benchmark in capability and versatility," said Sean Bond, vice president of Aerospace Controls for BAE Systems. "It's an honor to take part in this upgrade that will keep the Chinook in the Army's inventory for decades to come." |
| Following successful completion of flight tests, BAE Systems expects to begin production of the DAFCS, with deliveries scheduled for early 2006. In addition to about 450 U.S. Army Chinooks, military units worldwide operate about 350 CH-47s that are potential candidates for the flight control upgrade. |
| BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. BAE Systems North America is one of America's foremost national security, aerospace, and information systems companies. |
U.S. Army helicopter deal |
| 28 December 2004: The Boeing Company has been awarded a $243 million order for 10 CH-47F U.S. Army Chinook cargo helicopters, the Defense Department announced Thursday. The deal is a modification of a previous contract. Work is to be performed in Philadelphia and is expected to be completed by 31 July 2008, the Pentagon said. |
but says hundreds more to be hired |
| Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, 25 December 2004: Dozens of workers at Boeing's Ridley Township helicopter plant may be out of a job after the holidays due to outsourcing of warehousing operations, but officials say they expect the plant's work force to grow by several hundred over the next five years. |
| About 45 termination notices were sent out earlier this month to material handlers, some of whom may get other company jobs, as part of the movement of warehousing operations to a facility in Swedesboro, N.J., operated by North Carolina-based New Breed Inc., officials said. |
| "This is what we knew was coming," said John DeFrancisco, president of United Aerospace Workers Local 1069, the company's largest union. |
| Workers sent termination notices who cannot find other jobs, such as sheet metal work or aircraft assembly, will be laid off after Thursday. The union earlier contested the layoffs and DeFrancisco said terminated workers could still have their seniority and pay restored. |
| Boeing spokesman Jack Satterfield said the company does not expect more significant layoffs until the second half of 2005, when it will shift production from the MH-47G Chinook to the simpler CH-47F Chinook. However, that reduction will be eclipsed by additional hires over the next five years as the production rates increase for the CH-47F Chinook and V-22 Osprey, he said. |
| "We anticipate that by the end of the decade, we're going to add a net of several hundred jobs because we'll be getting more aircraft out the door," he said. |
| Satterfield said the work force, which was 4,577 as of 2 December 2004, is expected to grow to about 5,000 by 2010. |
| About 500 to 600 workers were involved in the $38 billion RAH-66 Comanche helicopter program canceled by the Army in late February, but fewer than 100 were laid off because workers were repositioned elsewhere in the company, he said. |
| St. Louis, 22 July 2004 - The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has delivered the first production CH-47F Chinook helicopter, tail number 03-08003, two months ahead of schedule, marking the beginning of the U.S. Army's Chinook modernization program. |
| The aircraft, the first of seven Lot 1 deliveries, will be used initially for flight demonstrations. The remaining six aircraft in Lot 1, all MH-47G Special Operations Chinooks, will be delivered by March 2005. To ensure that the U.S. Army Special Operations forces can meet high priority operational needs, Boeing will next remanufacture approximately 30 more G-model Chinooks before the next CH-47F is delivered in 2006. Boeing will deliver more than 300 F-model Chinooks to the U.S. Army between 2006 and program completion. |
| "This delivery continues Boeing's long history of producing and modernizing this vital aircraft for Army service and begins what is expected to be nearly 15 more years of business with our U.S. Army customer," said Pat Shanahan, vice president and general manager, Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. "The Chinook is the world's most advanced heavy-lift helicopter, and the Army's commitment to the aircraft is a testament to its proven technology, productive history and continued relevance to the Army's future." |
| Boeing delivered the first of two F-model engineering and manufacturing development prototypes in May 2002. Like the prototypes, the first production CH-47F not only will extend the service of the fleet, but features numerous upgrades over its predecessors, including reduced vibration, improved avionics and more powerful engines to help improve mission performance and reduce operation and maintenance costs. The aircraft's improved cockpit design offers improved situational awareness to support interoperability requirements. |
| Boeing builds the Chinook in Philadelphia, where employees use state-of-the-art lean manufacturing and engineering methods to generate efficiencies and cost savings in all stages of development and production. Boeing's longest running continuous production program, the Chinook first entered service with the U.S. Army in 1962, is in service with 20 allied nations and in use in countless military, civilian and humanitarian missions around the world every day. The U.S. Army will upgrade more than 300 D-model Chinooks to the fully modernized F-model configuration, extending the Chinook's service life through at least 2030. |
| Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $27 billion business that provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities (or systems); the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world's largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA's largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services. |
| Johnson City, New York, 28 June 2004: Boeing Integrated Defense Systems has selected BAE Systems to develop the digital flight control computer for the newest version of the U.S. Army's CH-47 Chinook heavy-lift transport helicopter, the CH-47F. The company will design the system and produce seven development shipsets in support of flight tests scheduled for 2005. The work is expected to lead to production orders for 300 Army helicopters. |
| The digital control will replace analog flight controls on CH-47D helicopters as Boeing upgrades 300 of those aircraft to the F-model standard under contract to the Army. Its digital design will provide significantly greater reliability, maintainability, and flexibility than the existing analog control. The system also will incorporate a built-in diagnostic system for detecting and analyzing system failures and faults. |
| "The CH-47 has been in service with the Army for more than 40 years and still represents a benchmark in capability and versatility," said Mike Austill, Vice President of Aerospace Controls for BAE Systems Platform Solutions. "It's an honor to have been chosen to take part in this upgrade, which will keep the Chinook in the Army's inventory for decades to come." |
| The new flight control, part of a new integrated avionic system, is scheduled for flight test in 2005 and installation on production CH-47Fs in 2006. In addition to about 450 U.S. Army Chinooks, militaries worldwide operate about 350 CH-47s that are potential candidates for the flight control upgrade, Austill said. |
| BAE Systems is an international company engaged in the development, delivery, and support of advanced defense and aerospace systems in the air, on land, at sea, and in space. BAE Systems Platform Solutions Sector provides a wide range of products and capabilities that include fly-by-wire flight controls, digital autopilots and flight directors, full-authority digital engine controls, inertial sensors and navigation guidance systems, displays, integrated avionics, power management systems, unmanned aerial vehicle systems, low-visibility precision landing systems, air traffic management systems, launch-vehicle controls, and hybrid electric vehicle drive systems. |
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| Click-N-Go Here for a larger view. |
| Ridley Park, 6 May 2004: Army special operations forces received their first MH-47G Chinook helicopter during a rollout ceremony at aircraft manufacturer Boeing’s compound. |
| The military’s newest rotary-wing airframe, updated and better equipped than its Chinook predecessors, will be flown exclusively by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) (Airborne), headquartered at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. |
| To kick off the event, an older MH-47D model flew directly over the thousands of Boeing employees who had gathered to watch the ceremony. Landing nearby, the Chinook discharged its cargo of three special operations Soldiers and a Ground Mobility Vehicle, which rolled slowly across the flight ramp as the door to a hangar opened and the new brand-new MH-47G was rolled out. |
| Patrick Shanahan, vice president and general manager for Boeing Rotorcraft Systems, then handed the first set of symbolic "keys" to the modified aircraft to Chief Warrant Officer Andrew Sentiff and Staff Sgt. Michael Luna, both of the 160th SOAR. |
| "All of us at Boeing are extremely proud of the Chinook and its record of service with the U.S. Army, Army special operations and our allies around the world for more than four decades," Shanahan said. "The Chinook’s unique capabilities show clearly why the Chinook is and will continue to be a central war-fighting asset for your armed forces." |
| The MH-47 is more than just an airframe, Shanahan said. "The design and manufacturing of this aircraft (have) been a labor of love and a model of working together," he said. "Teamwork has characterized our program from the start." |
| Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., commander of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, N.C., also spoke to the crowd. |
| "Not only have we all gotten a personal introduction to our ‘work horse,’ but we have also had the opportunity to shake hands with everyone who helped make this possible," Kensinger said. |
| Kensinger reminded those gathered – civilian and military – that the aircraft itself is secondary. |
| "As magnificent as this aircraft is, it is only as good as the people who design it, build it, fly it, and support it," Kensinger said. |
| Kensinger told the gathered Boeing workers that anyone who contributed to the construction of the aircraft was also contributing to victory in the Global War on Terrorism. |
| "The equipment (the 160th SOAR flies) is what gets the boots on the ground to fight the Global War on Terrorism," Kensinger said. "It is also the equipment that gets them back safely to their families." |
| The event was more than just a presentation of USASOC and Boeing’s newest collaboration. It also gave the Boeing workers a chance to understand the role of the MH-series aircraft, and it allowed those workers to speak directly to Soldiers who have been affected by the capabilities of the MH-47. Workers and guests checked out both the older "D" model and the newest "G" model following the ceremony, speaking with aviation crew members as well as members of a Special Forces operational detachment. |
| "This is a great bunch of guys," said John Williams, flight engineer for Boeing. "We want them to be well-protected up there," he said. "I feel better knowing these guys have the best equipment there is." |
| The MH-47G has capabilities not found on any other rotor-wing aircraft in the world. Its specialized mission equipment includes: · Multi-mode radar that permits terrain following and terrain avoidance in all climatic conditions · A Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) -equipped cockpit that enhances joint operability and pilot situational awareness · Next generation forward-looking infrared, or FLIR · M-134 Gatling “miniguns” and M-240D machine guns for increased defensive firepower · Advanced, integrated aircraft survivability equipment · Oversized main fuel tanks |
| The Army has approved the purchase of 61 MH-47G airframes. Procurement and distribution will continue through fiscal 2011. |
completes it's first flight. |
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| Click-N-Go Here for a larger view. |
| Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, 12 March 2004: Piloted by Boeing Test Pilot, Jack A. Jordan, the latest and most advanced Special Operations Chinook completed its first flight on Friday. After a series of system checks, 00-02160, an MH-47G, performed basic aerial maneuvers for more than an hour. The aircraft is one of three reconstituted Chinooks being upgraded from the U.S. Army CH-47D configuration to meet immediate customer needs. Currently, the U.S. Army’s Special Operations Chinook inventory consists of 34 airframes - 11 each MH-47Ds and 23 each MH-47Es, but is expected to double in size over the next decade due to growing operational requirements. Boeing will deliver its first G-model Chinook in May and 36 more by 2007. 00-02160 is a conversion from CH-47D 86-01678. Mr. Jordan is a retired U.S. Army CW4 and formerly a member of the now deactivated 205th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) - "Geronimos". |
| St. Louis, 31 January 2003 – Boeing [NYSE: BA] and the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command have signed the first Low Rate Initial Production contract valued at about $140 million including options for remanufacturing seven CH-47 Chinooks to the new CH-47F and MH-47G Special Operations configurations. |
| The contract covers the first production lot of a modernization program that will include at least 300 Chinooks over the next 13 years. |
| Boeing Integrated Defense Systems will manage the program at the Rotorcraft Enterprise Capability Center in suburban Philadelphia. |
| Work on the first aircraft begins this month, with the first CH-47F delivery scheduled for Sept. 2004. The remaining six aircraft in the first lot will be converted to MH-47G Special Operations Chinooks and delivered in 2004 and 2005. |
| Modernization involves teardown of CH-47D Chinooks, removal of existing cockpit sections for replacement by newly manufactured subassemblies, full inspection of all structural elements and replacement of components as required, and installation of new or recapitalized components and systems that will enhance Chinook operational capabilities and reduce sustainment costs. |
| Both CH-47F and MH-47G Chinooks will incorporate “tuned” fuselages to reduce the effects of vibration on aircrews, structures and avionic systems. Both aircraft also will incorporate advanced cockpit management systems. The CH-47F cockpit contains a digital mission management suite with a moving map display and digital modem. The MH-47G will utilize the U.S. Army’s advanced Common Avionics Architecture applicable to all Special Operations rotorcraft. In addition, the modernization includes installation of more powerful and fuel-efficient Honeywell T55-GA-714A engines with Full Authority Digital Engine Control. |
| Chinooks are the world’s most efficient and reliable heavy transport helicopters. They have been the U.S. Army’s prime movers for forty years, and will remain in the Army’s inventory at least until 2035. In addition, 15 international customers operate Chinooks in military and humanitarian service on six continents, in every climate and condition. |
| A unit of The Boeing Company, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems, is one of the world’s largest space and defense businesses. Headquartered in St. Louis, Boeing Integrated Defense Systems is a $25 billion business. It provides systems solutions to its global military, government and commercial customers. It is a leading provider of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; the world's largest military aircraft manufacturer; the world’s largest satellite manufacturer and a leading provider of space-based communications; the primary systems integrator for U.S. missile defense; NASA’s largest contractor; and a global leader in launch services. |
| Boeing, 18 November 2002: Manufacture of the the first production F model is underway at the Boeing facilities in Pennsylvania. Earlier this year, Boeing delivered the first two prototype F models to the U.S. Army for testing and evaluation. The F model is an austere service life extension program intended to keep the fleet flying until the Joint Transport Helicopter can be fielded. Some estimates put that at around the year 2030. Along with the F model, the first two airframes have arrived at the factory for conversion to the G model. One airframe is currently undergoing the process, but the contract with the Department of Defense is still being negotiated. The G model will replace currently existing airframes designed specifically for special operations. 26 special ops Chinooks were delivered to the U.S. Army in the early to mid 1990's and they have seen extensive use in the war on terrorism. As a result, the world has watched many of their heroic achievements. No other aircraft currently in the U.S. inventory has the power to complete many of the vital missions that must be performed in the desert-like, high mountainous conditions that the military can be expected to operate in - now and in the future. |
| First F Model Delivered |
| Related Sites |
| Boeing Factory Photographs |
| Winter 1986, Boeing Transitions Newsletter |
| Boeing Chinook Contracts |
| CH-47C Slings a broken UTTAS YUH-61A |
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