TSAMTO, September 8. The Boeing company at the enterprise in Ridley Park (Philadelphia, pc.Pennsylvania) has started testing the first Chinook heavy transport helicopter upgraded to the latest version of the CH-47F by the Airmobile Forces of the Spanish Land Forces (FAMET).
According to Scramble Magazine, the helicopter with the number ET-420 in the FAMET paint was photographed during one of the test flights at the Boeing Helicopter Company plant in early September.
As previously reported by TSAMTO, in April 2018, the US State Department approved the potential supply of 17 CH-47F Chinook transport helicopters with unique customer modifications, as well as related equipment and services worth up to $ 1.3 billion to Spain under the Foreign Military Sales program.
Later it became known that we are talking about the modernization of the existing CH-47D. In September 2018, the Spanish government approved the conclusion of a contract with Boeing for the modernization of Chinook helicopters with a total cost of 819.23 million euros. In January 2019, Boeing confirmed that it will modernize all 17 CH-47D Chinook heavy transport helicopters (national designation HT.17) The Spanish Armed Forces to the "F" configuration, adding such functions as a digital automatic flight control system, avionics of the CAAS standard (Common Avionics Architecture System) and an improved loading/unloading system, which will allow them to be unified with the equipment of other countries.
In June 2021, Boeing announced that the first four upgraded CH-47F Chinook heavy transport helicopters should be delivered to Spain in late 2021 or early 2022, which will allow reaching initial readiness for combat use by the end of next year. Another 7 helicopters will be delivered in 2023, and full deliveries will be completed in 2024.
For reference: in July 2021, 12 CH-47D helicopters were seen in storage in Colmenar Viejo (Spain), awaiting shipment to the United States.
The implementation of this program is important for improving the combat capability of the airmobile forces of the Spanish Armed Forces, which includes the 5th Battalion of transport helicopters (BHELTRA V), currently equipped with outdated CH-47D.
At the moment, 17 CH-47D Chinook helicopters are in service with the Spanish Armed Forces. The first Chinook helicopters in the CH-47C version were purchased for the Spanish Armed Forces in 1973. For their operation at the Coronel Mate base in Colmenar Viejo (prov. Madrid) the 5th battalion of transport helicopters was formed. In the 1990s, these helicopters were upgraded to the CH-47D configuration.
As of the beginning of the summer of 2021, the battalion's flight personnel were undergoing retraining for a new helicopter modification at the Army Aviation Advanced Training Center at Fort Rucker (Alabama), and technical specialists were at the bases at Fort Indiantown Gap (Alabama).Pennsylvania) and Fort Eustis (Virginia).
