Chinook upgrades: £1.4bn deal signed

A new deal worth £1.4bn will see the UK's Chinook helicopter fleet upgraded over a 10-year period.

The heavy-lift aircraft, which in November reached 40 years of Royal Air Force service, will be modernised to include a digital cockpit and automatic flight control system, allowing pilots to hover safely in areas with poor visibility.

The 14 new H-47(ER) aircraft will have a top speed of 300 kilometers per hour, and will be made available to the UK Armed Forces over the next decade.

They will also have a modernised airframe to increase stability.

The oldest of the Chinooks will be retired to make way for the incoming aircraft, which will be based at RAF Odiham in Hampshire, the home of the fleet.

It is hoped the new H-47(ER) variants will be delivered from 2026.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: "From assisting emergency repairs to UK flood defences, providing vital logistics support during COVID-19 to its warfighting role on Afghan battlefields, the Chinook has been the workhorse of the Armed Forces for over 40 years. 

"The cutting edge H-47(ER) will be at the forefront of our specialist requirements in dealing with threats and logistic support.

"Our £1.4bn investment will mean we will be one of very few air forces with this capability."

The defence contract was signed with the United States through a Foreign Military Sales agreement, the Ministry of Defence confirmed.

Four decades in service have seen the Chinook operate in every major conflict since the Falklands War, transporting cargo and personnel in a host of conditions.

Most recently, the aircraft have been deployed in Mali, with the RAF sending its own force to the African country, with around 100 personnel and three Chinooks supporting the French-led counter-insurgency mission, Operation BARKHANE, since 2018.

More recently, it was part of the Joint Helicopter Aviation Task Force which transported NHS paramedics, equipment and patients during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Commander Joint Helicopter Command, Air-Vice Marshal Nigel Colman said: "Proven on both UK and overseas operations time and again over the last 40 years, the Chinook continues to be a critical capability for UK defence.

"This announcement assures Chinook operations for the decades ahead and is representative of our commitment to modernise capabilities whilst maintaining interoperability with key allies."

What is a Chinook?

The helicopter has been in service with the RAF for more than 40 years, with the first helicopter of its kind landing at Odiham on 22 November 1980.

Watch: What has made the Chinook such a staple of the military over the past 40 years?

The helicopter crews at RAF Odiham provide rapid support for Britain's military operations worldwide and three Chinook squadrons operating out of the base.

Numerous models of Chinook have been developed since the 1960s, although arguably the most common is the CH-47 variant, a twin-engined heavy-lift helicopter with a tandem rotor.

The RAF's Chinook has a payload of 55 personnel, or 10,000kg of freight, and a fuel capacity of 3,914 litres.

The helicopter has dimensions of just over 30 metres long and 5.6 metres tall, and a rotor diameter of 18.29 metres.