United States Army Approves Newest Helicopter

The United States Army recently approved the production of its newest helicopter, the CH-47F Chinook, produced by Boeing. According to Boeing Integrated Defense Systems in a recent press release, the newest helicopter recently passed operational testing at Fort Campbell, Kentucky with the 159^th Aviation Brigade of the 101^st Airborne Division. Originally designed in the 1960's, the CH-47 Chinook allows for large transport of goods needed in combat by the Army and other branches of the military.

The newest model, the CH-47F, has newly designed cockpit electronic systems, as well as new turbine engines. This new combination of equipment allows for more capability to operate in the new theater of combat. Some of these new features will lighten the load on the pilots of the helicopter, by displaying interactive maps, removing the need for paperwork while flying the aircraft. Updated engines allow for speeds up to 175 MPH and transporting over 21,000 pounds of cargo, while flying greater than 600 miles on a single fuel tank. Recently, Ken Eland, Boeing CH-47F program manager said that, "The Army put the CH-47F to the test with over 60 hours of rigorous flight test in numerous simulated mission scenarios, including air assault, combat resupply and transport operations."

After initial testing and certification, the Army has cleared the way for over 450 of the new helicopters, which are expected to serve the Army long past 2030. New CH-47F Chinooks will begin entering service later this month, allowing for expanded operations for United States Army Aviation.

Sources: http://boeing.com/ids/news/2007/q3/070716b_nr.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CH-47#CH-47F.2FMH-47G
http://www.aircav.com/dodphoto/dod05/ch47-042.html