Boeing to Build New Chinook Model.

• Position: News Briefs

After rotor blade design setbacks and funding delays, the Army awarded Boeing a $ 136 million contract to build four CH-47 Chinook Block II systems, the company announced in October.

The Block II--a modernized version of the CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopter--allows for an increased payload in various flight environments, said Andy Builta, Boeing vice president and H-47 program manager. Block II aircraft also have an improved drive train and rotor system that offers 10 percent more torque capacity, as well as improved electrical and fuel systems.

Whether or not the Army would purchase the CH-47F Block II had been an open question for years. Procurement funding for Block II took hits under President Joe Biden's 2022 budget proposal, and the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions to the rotorcraft's production.

"Going into production on the CH-47F Block II is key to being able to get that aircraft and its capability out into the field," Builta told reporters recently. The system is able to carry more payload and operate faster, farther and "smarter," he said.

Boeing has flown more than 800 hours of flight tests for Block II aircraft and will continue to do so in Mesa, Arizona, Builta added.

However, the advanced Chinook rotor blades--a key part of Block II's enhancements--will not be part of the Army's...