The German government has confirmed the purchase of 60 Boeing CH-47F Chinook heavy-lift helicopters to replace its ageing CH-53 fleet. According to Reuters, Germany frequently postponed aircraft purchases due to the conflict in Ukraine. According to the agency, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht stated, "With this model, we are strengthening our ability to cooperate in Europe."
According to previous planning data, the Bundeswehr would purchase 45 to 60 heavy-lift helicopters for approximately 4 billion euros ($4.29 billion), with deliveries scheduled between 2023 and 2029. According to German Chief of Defence Eberhard Zorn, the Chinook"s global use was a key selling point.
Because the US Army and European forces use over 500 Chinook helicopters, spare parts are readily available, allowing the helicopters to operate for an extended period of time. The CH-53K King Stallion is only used by the US Marine Corps and Israel, according to Zorn.
Zorn"s words indicate that Boeing"s Chinook has interoperability advantages with other European NATO countries and a lower unit cost than the CH-53K, which would allow the purchase of more helicopters for the same budget. The only Western companies that offer this military helicopter type are Chinook and CH-53K.The Bundeswehr has repeatedly postponed its decision to purchase new heavy-lift helicopters in recent years.For its mission in Afghanistan, it relied heavily on the old CH-53, which it had been flying since the 1970s.
| CH-53K Specs | CH-47F Specs | |
| Max Gross Weight | 88,000 pounds /39,916 kg(with external load) | 50,000 pounds /(22,680kg) (Block I); 54,000 (Block II) |
| Design Airspeed | 195.6 miles per hour (170 knots) | 160 knots |
| Propulsion | 3X T408-GE-400 turboshaft engines rated at 7,332 SHP | 3 × T408 (GE38-1B) turboshaft engines rated at 7,500 shp |
| Crew | 3 (pilot, copilot and flight engineer) | 3 (pilot, copilot and flight engineer) |
| Capacity: | 30 | 36 |
