The U.S. military has begun using the latest version of the Chinook cargo
helicopter in combat operations in Iraq, officials said this week.
The CH-47F Chinook Improved Cargo is now being flown by the Combat Aviation
Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, from Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. It is the
first time the helicopter has been flown in combat, officials said.
Operational testing on the helicopter was done at Fort Campbell, Ky., last
summer, and operational units began receiving the aircraft later in the year.
According to the Army and Boeing, which manufactures the Chinook, the
improvements include new engines that can propel the helicopter more than 175
mph. Payloads can now top 10 tons.
Each new CH-47F costs around $32 million, officials said. Many of the
airframes have been "remanufactured" from older versions of the CH-47D.
Many of those aircraft are now nearing 30 years of use, officials said. But
the improvement program can "extend the aircraft’s life expectancy another 20
years (total life of 60 years) until the 2025-2030 time frame," according to the
Army.
