Canada’s first Boeing CH-147F Chinook heavy lift helicopter arrived in Canada on June 25, 2013. The delivery of Canada’s versatile workho...
The delivery of Canada’s versatile workhorse aircraft was marked with a ceremony held at the Canada Reception Centre in Ottawa on June 27, 2013.
The first CH-147F was accepted by the Royal Canadian Air Force’s 450 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, and will be followed by six additional aircraft over the remainder of 2013.
The Canadian government awarded Boeing a contract for 15 Medium-to-Heavy-Lift Helicopters (MHLH) and in-service support in June 2009, with deliveries scheduled to be completed by June 2014.
These new Canadian F-model Chinooks are dramatically improved compared to the old C-models operated by the CAF in the 1970s and 1980s.
The aircraft’s features include a modernized airframe with a long-range fuel system - more than twice the range of other F-model and previous Chinook variants, upgraded electrical system, fully integrated Common Avionics Architecture System cockpit, and Digital Automatic Flight Control System. The aircraft also has improved survivability features including a Directional Infrared Counter measures system.
Boeing will provide in-service support to the MHLH fleet for the next 20 years under a Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contract. The company has already awarded six contracts to Canadian suppliers for services under the program.
The value of the Chinook helicopter was highlighted by the CAF’s operational experience in Afghanistan, with the six D-model versions employed there as part of Canada’s Air Wing in Kandahar. This workhorse helicopter saved lives, and contributed significantly to mission success by rapidly transporting troops and equipment to locations that would be more dangerous or impossible to reach by ground.
The CH-147F Chinook is an advanced, multi-mission, medium to heavy-lift helicopter. Its primary mission is the tactical transport of equipment and personnel during domestic or deployed operations.
