Germany to acquire 60 new Chinooks

In a statement before the Bundestag on Wednesday 1 June, Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht stated that the decision to purchase the new fleet, which will primarily be used for transport, would ‘strengthen [Germany’s] ability to cooperate in Europe’.

Boeing will deliver the helicopters in collaboration with its Chinook Deutschland team, including Airbus Helicopters, AERO-Bildung, CAE, Honeywell, ESG, Rolls-Royce Deutschland and Lufthansa Technik.

The aircraft will replace the military’s elderly CH-53 Sea Stallions, which have been in operation since the 1970s. Efforts to replace the heavy-lift helicopter fleet have been repeatedly postponed in recent years.

It follows a major shift in Germany’s policy towards its armed forces under Chancellor Olaf Scholz earlier this year, which has led to a sharp increase in defense spending of €100 billion in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February.

The increase in funds is intended to bring the German military’s equipment up to modern standards after a period of underinvestment following the end of the Cold War. Approximately €40 billion of this is expected to be spent on air capabilities, according to a report by Reuters.

The latest version of the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, the CH-47F, has a cruise speed of 291km/h with a range of 370.4km. It has a useful load of 10,886kg and a 3,914-liter fuel capacity.

Boeing is also in the process of delivering 14 Chinooks to the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) through a US$578 million Foreign Military Sales contract awarded in June 2021.